True Resolve
by TheTrueJoker14
Summary: Meet Red. He's Pallet's golden boy, a born prodigy in Pokemon battles. But what happens when Red decides to go on his own journey and conquer the Pokemon League? Read and find out what happens as Red is pushed to his limits in this journey.
1. Chapter 1: My Way

**Chapter 1: My Way**

_For anyone who is wondering, I decided to update Chapter 1- I feel like my style of writing has diverged enough from my previous one and it seems like a good opportunity to update the first Chapter- the one that kicked this off._

**Pallet Town, Kanto**

"NO, NO, NO! Not again!" Red admonished himself as he ran to his home under the afternoon sun. His throat was a bit parched- but he didn't stop to drink some water.

His feet hurt a little from tripping over that one rock earlier at the Trainers' School. _Meh, I can just slap a bandage on it._

He rushed inside his home. There was no one to greet- as always. Sometimes the kids who lived in Pallet asked him, "How do you live alone?"

He would always respond, "Because it's what I've always _been_ doing."

He mentally yelled at his rival Blue for delaying him yet again with that dumb speech of his. Blue was, for lack of a better word- an _asshat_. True, he had talent- that was something Red begrudgingly respected him for- but he still acted like he owned the place. His grandfather, the esteemed Professor Samuel Oak was a different case- Oak was a pioneer. He had everything to go- he was the first Champion of the Indigo League for nearly _two_ decades, after which he retired, having lost his only battle to Red's favourite Trainer- Lance, the Dragon Master. He then went to work on the most prized Pokemon invention ever made- the Pokedex. In brief, it was an encyclopedia that could summon data for _every _single Pokemon in the world after a mere scan. It was a creation that rivalled the very image of the modern- day Trainer- a Pokeball.

How did Red know all this? He lived next door to Blue and Oak. Ever since they were little kids, Blue and he got off on the wrong foot and everything spiralled downhill from there. Oak tried his best to convince both of them to work together on _something_. Try as he could, they hated each other furiously- and their rivalry had started on a bitter tone.

Red still remembered the Championship Tournament a year ago.

_"Bellsprout is down! Will it get up?" Red yelled. "Shellder, use Ice Shard!" The Pokemon immediately fired an icicle from its shell. Bellsprout could only look on in horror as the icicle drew nearer. It crashed into Bellsprout's tired body, knocking it out cleanly._

_The battle had been a tie. Both competitors- Red and Blue- turned to face the judges. The first judge voted in favour of Blue._

_The second one thought hard for a while and voted for Red. The third judge- Professor Oak himself- stood up and clapped._

_"Congratulations, Red! Well done to you too, Blue!" Blue immediately understood the implication. Tears welled up in his eyes as he ran off the stage in anger. Red wanted to go after him, but decided against it._

_Blue and he never eally saw eye- to- eye, but that had been the last straw. Blue and Red remained enemies since then._

"- and Nidoking brutalizes Onix with a super- effective Earthquake! WHAT A VICTORY! The crowd is goin' wild!" The announcer yelled. Red whooped and cheered in front of his PC.

Suddenly, he saw an e- mail pop up. He knew who it was from- he just hoped it was actually what he thought it was.

_Dear Trainer,_

_Congratulations! You have been selected to receive a Pokemon partner and a Trainer ID from the Trainers' School tomorrow. In honor of your achievement, for the first time ever, you will also receive a Pokedex from the League official in your town._

_Best wishes,_

_Samuel Oak_

Red whooped for joy. He was so happy he had passed. He had already decided what he wanted- Charmander. The fire lizard and its evolutions were imposing and impressive. Red could only imagine how cool he would look next to a Charizard of his own. He imitated Lance's famous pose during a battle. It made him feel very excited. Thinking about the massive fun he would have on his adventure to the top, he drifted to sleep.

**The next day...**

Red sprinted towards the Corral. He didn't want to be late. _Not this time_.

He caught his breath as he approached the door. He smiled as he entered, but it was met with a cold sneer. "Wow. Someone's all washed up and clean." Red glared at his rival. "Aren't you supposed to be buying hair products at Celadon right now?" Blue glared at Red this time. "You piece of-" Red silenced him and asked, "Where's your Gramps?" Blue pointed his thumb towards Route 1, to the north of Pallet Town. "Outside, doing old man stuff. Be a good little Yamper and fetch him for me, will ya?" "In your dreams, Volkner!" Red shouted as he ran off. He looked intently at the tall grass. He knew Pokemon were hiding in there.

He just couldn't stop himself. As he took a step forward, he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

It was Professor Oak.

And he was headed right for him.

_Whew! The revised Chapter 1- feels a little nostalgic to be back here! If all goes well, I ight do Chapters 2 and 3 by the next month or so..._


	2. Chapter 2: The Rivalry Begins

**Chapter 2: The Rivalry Begins**

_So, then- the retconned Chapter 2 is here. I honestly put off this thing until later- but here we are... Well, 'nuff said!_

"- told you time and again that _you _were_ NOT _supposed to enter the tall grass until you have a Pokemon!" Red wordlessly nodded as Professor Oak dragged him by the hand inside his Lab. Blue erupted into peals of laughter, saying, "Holy shit, you got _screwed over_!"

Oak gave him a stern look. "_Language, _young man." Blue shrugged it off. "Whatever, Gramps! Hurry up already, it's getting boring here!" Oak smiled sarcastically. "Thank you for calling my life's work '_boring_', dear grandson. I'm sorry- what did you say your name was, again?" Red snorted under his breath. Blue sneered at Red. "Aww, lil' Cubchoo caught a _bad _case of the sniffles, didn't he?" Both kids glared at each other unrepentantly. Oak groaned. "Knock it off- both of you." Both kids immediately turned to the Professor.

"Now, as you know, you two are the only ones from the Pallet Trainers' School to pass the examinations this year. So, you will be the only ones from Pallet Town to enter the Indigo League this year and hopefully, the first Trainers to fill this one up." Blue waved his hand. "Oh my God, Gramps! Hurry it up, you're not as mysterious as you think you are." Oak sighed for the umpteenth time and pulled out two Pokedexes. "This is the Pokedex- the first of its kind. A better version is currently under progress in the Unova and Johto regions with my friends- Professors Elm and Cedric Juniper. We're going to call it the National Pokedex. Now, this one- the Kanto Pokedex- can record all 148 Pokemon present in the Kanto region." Red's eyes gleamed with interest as he took the Pokedex from his mentor's hands. "Whoa..."

"Careful not to drool. You smell horrible as is." Both Trainers glared at each other once again. "Knock it off. Over here!"

Both Trainers shoved each other on the way there- clearly, there was no friendship lost between the two. Oak took the cover off his table- and there stood three Pokeballs in front of them. Before Blue could react, Red ran up to the table and picked the Pokeball with the Fire symbol on it. Blue arched an eyebrow. "Charmander, huh? If that's how it is..." He reached for the Pokeball with the Water symbol on it. "... Then that's how it is." Both Trainers sent out their Pokemon.

Charmander appeared outside and Red immediately picked it up. The fire lizard immediately snuggled up close to the Trainer. "Hi there, Charmander! My name's Red- I'm your Trainer now. What do you say we become the strongest of all of them and beat everyone in our way?" The lizard nodded enthusiastically.

Squirtle, when materialized, took some time to look around itself and immediately smiled when it saw Blue. "Hey there, Squirtle. Name's Blue- and we're gonna be traveling together from today. You gonna keep up with me? If so, then follow me." Blue made to leave and Squirtle followed him steadily as he stopped short of the door. "Hey, Red, you chicken?"

"Not one bit. How about you, Your Majesty?"

"Doin' fine. Squirtle, go!"

"Charmander, I choose you!" Both Pokemon faced off against each other. "Use Tail Whip!" Squirtle whipped its tail in front of Charmander's face, making it lose its guard. Charmander instantly stumbled back. "Follow up with Tackle!" Red yelled. "Scratch! Don't lose your balance!" Charmander steadied itself and landed a scratch right on Squirtle's head, making it fall down instead. "Keep using Scratch!" Blue yelled back. "Get up! Don't lose!"

Charmander kept scatching at Squirtle's head for the better part of a minute. Squirtle finally fell down, completely tired out.

"UNBELIEVEABLE! I picked the wrong Pokemon?" Blue cried out. Red smiled as Charmander jumped in a victory pose.

Blue returned Squirtle and stormed out the door. Red recalled Charmander and turned to Professor Oak, who turned to see scratchmarks all over his Lab. Red muttered, "Oops... sorry." He sighed and said, "It's... it's fine... Alakazam!" The psychic- type teleported into the room. "Fix this up, please." It nodded wordlessly and started clearing away the scratchmarks on the floor. He walked outside the Lab and barely saw Blue walk away and out of his sight.

He opened the Pokedex and pointed it at a Pokemon that scurried in between his legs."_Rattata. The Mouse Pokemon. Height__-"_

"Shut up, Dex."

He saw a tiny bird fly and land on a Pinap tree.

"_Pidgey. Th-_"

"I said shut up."

Oblivious to Red's command, the Pokedex continued to ramble on about Pidgey and Rattata over and over again. Red told himself in his thoughts, _It's gonna be a long day._

_I honestly didn't want to do this right after Chapter 1- but it is what it is._

_Blue: Hey, that's my line, you piece of s-_

_NO, IT IS NOT! GET OUT! shoving and scuffling sounds_

_Sorry. Um... Chapter 3's retcon will be around next week. 'Kay, bye!_


	3. Chapter 3: Viridian Forest

**Chapter 3: Viridian Forest**

_Thank you for sticking on to this. Shout out to you if you sat through the first two. Hope you enjoy!_

Red looked at his Town Map that he had just borrowed from Daisy, Blue's sister. Unlike Blue, she was very nice to Red, and usually spent her time injuring hurt or fainted Pokemon in Route 1. Ignoring yet another jibe from Blue, he went to Oak's house and borrowed a map from Daisy, but couldn't understand a single thing in it.

Red walked through the grassy meadows of Route 1, still trying to understand what on earth the Map's symbols meant.

Putting these thoughts aside, Red walked into Viridian City. It was rather crowded, as he noticed there was a Gym in the northwest corner of the city.

_All right! My first Gym challenge! I'm gonna go challenge that guy!_

Red ran over to the northwest corner of the city where people were surrounding the Gym. He noticed people trying to get in. _What's going on?_

Red shuffled through the crowd as he entered the building. Several blue- clad men were standing inside, inspecting the building. One of them, with a brown overcoat on, noticed Red enter the building. "Whoa, there, little guy! You're not allowed in here. Unless…. you're the person the Indigo Plateau sent over."

Red was shocked. "What… no, I'm not… I- I came for… sorry, to fight the Viridian Leader."

"You're in the right place, kid. But you're too late. He's not here. He's gone." The man, who later introduced himself as Mr. Looker of the International Police, said,"We're looking for him too, kid. He's missing."

Red was dejected. He left soon after. On the road ahead, he found a drunken old man, lying about, screaming wearily. "You know… how to catch Pokemon, kid? Watch… TEACHY TV!" A young woman soon came about and dragged him off the road. The woman had also helped Red with directions to the next Gym ahead, Pewter Gym.

_So I have to go through the Viridian Forest, huh? No biggie. I can do that._

Once in Viridian Forest, however, Red regretted his statement. The thick cluster of trees ensured that only minimal sunlight fell on the ground. The tall grass everywhere spooked Red out. Hope nothing decides to jump out of there, thought Red. As he turned right, he saw a little boy, maybe 4 or 5 years old, sitting by a tree. Red walked over to him and asked, "Hey, buddy, you know how to get out of Viridian Forest? Can ya help me?"

The boy thought a while and said, "Not really. But my older brother knows."

"Can you take me to him?"

The little boy said, "Uh... he went in there," said the boy pointing in front of him, where the trees were far enough to provide a rather large path for people to travel. He saw two boys, not too far off, running around and catching a Bug Pokemon.

_Butterfree. The-_

"No. Stop it." Red took out his Pokedex and fidgeted on the screen for a little bit. He then changed it from Interactive to Manual. This meant that the Pokedex would not work unless he switched it on. _Much better_, thought Red, as he walked over to the two boys, who were standing next to a tree. Red called out to them from a little far off. "Hey, guys! Can you guys help me?"

He saw a purple butterfly fly away from the tree the boys were underneath. One of them saw Red and said, "Hey! You drove her off! We were about to catch her!"

Red took a step back and said, "Look, I just want to get out of here. I don't want trouble."

"You don't, big guy, but we do." The boys picked up their Pokeballs and threw them out. Out popped three small, green and big- eyed bugs. "These are Caterpie. Like them?"

Red smiled, pulled his hat backwards and said, "Okay then. Meet Charmander. He's a Fire- type." He tossed the Pokeball out and then came out Charmander.

The three bugs stared Charmander down. Red said, "Charmander, use Ember! Go!" Charmander lunged forward and spat a small, yet potent ball of fire from its mouth, engulfing the Caterpie in flames. The two boys were shocked to be defeated so easily.

Midway through the Forest, Red found a small mouse- like Pokemon sticking out of the grass. He knew what is was- Pikachu. He always thought Raichu was a powerhouse and he felt that it was a nice companion. He sent out Charmander. "Use Scratch!" Charmander lunged at the unsuspecting rodent and slashed it with its claws. It was only a matter of seconds before Red threw a Pokeball, cleanly capturing it.

Instilled with confidence, Red made his way through the path which led to a clearing in the middle of the forest. There he saw Blue battling a pink cat- like Pokemon. Squirtle was blasting little bubbles in all directions, but the pink Pokemon dodged them all easily. Eventually, it got tired and suddenly vanished into thin air.

"Hey, Blue. What was that Pokemon?" Asked Red.

"Oh. You. Thought I smelled something. What do you want?" Blue asked, apathy clearly on his face.

"Oh, the Pokemon. What's that Pokemon?" Red enquired once again, to which Blue replied, "Don't know. Never seen it before."

"But, that's so cool how it can vanish!"

"Oh, yeah? What are you gonna do now, go look under trucks searching for it? Just give up fantasies, Red."

Red immediately retorted. "Fantasy? Like the battle where you actually beat me?"

Blue didn't show it, but his anger was increasing steadily. Years of latent anger built up in his mind and erupted at that moment.

"THAT'S IT, RED! WE FIGHT NOW!"

"Okay, Blue. Let's fight." Smiled Red as he called out his first Pokemon. Blue did too.

"Squirtle, go!"

"Pikachu, go!"

Blue was surprised. "A Pikachu? Interesting. Looks like you did prepare for this."

Red smiled. "Pikachu, use Thundershock!" The yellow mouse charged up the red spots on its cheek and sent out 5 long bolts of yellow electricity right at Squirtle.

"Use Withdraw!" Squirtle immediately withdrew into its shell. "There. At least you didn't make him faint." Blue smiled. "Squirtle, use Bubble!"

Bubbles shot out of Squirtle's shell. Red said, "Dodge it and use Thundershock!" Pikachu immediately jumped in the air and sent out 5 more bolts of electricity, rendering Squirtle defeated.

Blue knelt on the ground and started beating the grass with his fist. Red could have sworn he saw some tears come out of Blue's eyes as he withdrew Squirtle.

"Why me? Why is it that no matter what happens, I lose and you win?"

He turned to Red and said, "You deserve nothing, Red, you know that?"

Red tried to say something to Blue, but Blue just shut him off. "Don't say a word. Please don't. Every _word_ you say is an insult to me."

Blue ran away from the clearing, leaving Red alone to ponder over Blue's outburst. He slowly shuffled his way out of Viridian Forest, thinking deeply.


	4. Chapter 4: The First Step

**Chapter 4: The First Step**

"Charmander, use Metal Claw! Again!"

"Again!"

Charmander kept hardening its claws to the level of steel and swiped ferociously at a tree. Red turned to his left and said, "Pikachu, refine that Quick Attack! We got to make it stronger."

Red and his Pokemon were training themselves for the challenge ahead. The first Gym Leader.

_The lady in Viridian said his name was Brock. Judging by the name, he's probably a Rock- type specialist._

Red called off Charmander and Pikachu and returned them to their Pokeballs. He sat down under a tree and thought of a battle strategy. Usually, his plan of attack was to attack, but he didn't have a Pokemon on his team that could give him a clear advantage against Brock.

As he kept thinking, he heard a buzzing sound. Actually, it sounded like multiple buzzes. Red finally realised what it was- _Beedrill._

From the top of a cluster of trees, about 15 large bees with poisonous stingers for hands popped up. Red clutched his hat and started running. As he ran, he noticed a lot of other Pokemon running, mainly Caterpie. But he noticed one Pokemon, not too far away in the distance. He thought it was just a Metapod, but noticed a sizeable protrusion on its back. He ran towards it. As he got closer, he noticed it was not a protrusion, but rather a bulb- like structure on its back. Red quickly pulled out his Pokedex. "Dex, scan!"

_Scan complete. Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon. Height is-_

"I… don't… want to.. hear your VOICE!" Red switched off the Pokedex and stuffed it in his jacket pocket.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the Beedrill get close to Bulbasaur, about to pierce it with poison. Red immediately sent Charmander out. "Use Ember!" Charmander immediately fended off the Beedrill. Bulbasaur ran off into the cluster of trees.

"Wait, come ba-" Red was cut short as he felt a stinging pain go through his arm and his whole body. The world turned black. Red fell on the ground, unconscious.

Charmander ran to Red's side. He tried pushing his trainer's body, heating it, but nothing seemed to work. Charmander was angry.

The Beedrill were just about to go over the trees when Charmander called out to them. The swarm turned around and headed back. Charmander ran towards them and spat a huge Ember, knocking out at least three of them. The rest now charged angrily. Charmander remained unfazed as he leapt up over one of them, and propelled himself in the air, knocking the Beedrill to the ground. He spun around and shot Ember in all the directions, knocking out several of them.

Charmander landed just in time to see more Beedrill fly towards him. He stood in front of Red's body, ready to protect him. As the Beedrill pounced on him, Charmander grew angrier and angrier. As the Beedrill attacked him from all sides, he grew even angrier. His eyes suddenly turned blue and he shot out a gigantic Ember attack that knocked out all the Beedrill completely.

Fatigued, Charmander fell flat next to Red.

"AAAAHHH!" Red woke up in a Pokemon Center, his right arm covered in a bandage.

"Beedrill sting. You're lucky you got here before the poison could overwhelm your body." The attending nurse said.

"But.. how did I-"

"This little guy came all the way to Pewter and made a ruckus at the Center. He ran off and a bunch of guys followed him all the way where you were fainted. Along with a Charmander."

Red's mind immediately flashed to Charmander. "Is he okay?" The nurse calmed him down. "Yes. He healed quickly, but yours… it took too long."

Red panicked. "How long since I fainted?"

"5 hours. You were really hurt. Lucky Charmander fended off the Beedrill."

"He did that? Charmander?"

Suddenly, the nurse heard a knock on the door. She opened it and walked outside, where Charmander stood, with Bulbasaur peeking over his shoulder.

"Did ya make a friend?" Red asked.

Charmander yelped in agreement. Red's attention turned to Bulbasaur. "Thanks a lot, Bulbasaur. Would you like to join my team?"

Bulbasaur turned to Charmander, who nodded his head. Bulbasaur walked over to Red and tapped his head on the Pokeball Red was holding. A red light flashed and Bulbasaur went inside the capsule.

Back in Pewter City after healing completely, Red went to a garden beside the tall, granite building called Pewter Museum. There, he sat on a bench and let out all his Pokemon- Pikachu, Charmander and Bulbasaur. He took out his Pokedex and scanned Bulbasaur.

_Moveset includes Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip and Leech Seed._

_Level is 11._

After he finished reading the Pokedex's summary, he dozed off on the bench as his three companions rested together by his side.

After a good nap, Red headed to Pewter Gym. With Bulbasaur in hand, Red was sure Brock would never be able to beat him.

As he opened the door, he saw Blue and Squirtle inside, fighting it out with Brock's Geodude. Strangely, it looked different, but Red couldn't tell how. As he walked inside, Geodude let out a strong Thundershock at Squirtle, sending it toppling back to Blue. He then looked at the big plasma screen showing Blue and Brock's Pokemon. Blue's side showed Squirtle, a Pidgey and a Rattata. As Squirtle was returned to its Pokeball, the circle showing Squirtle went grey. The referee called out. "Squirtle has been defeated, making Brock and Geodude the winner!"

Red then walked up to the podium. As Blue got down, he saw Red and said, "You're gonna get knocked out, Red. He uses Rock- types, but somehow, that Geodude was able to use an Electric move. You're gonna lose if those two are all you have." Blue walked out of Pewter Gym.

Red climbed up the stairs to the stage where Brock was standing. He noticed Red and said, "Greetings, challenger. I am Brock, the leader of Pewter Gym. I specialise in Rock- type Pokemon. Not only are my Pokemon rock- solid, they also show a rock- hard determination to win! So, are you ready?"

Red turned his hat backwards and said, "Yes."

"Battle begin!"

"Geodude,go!"

"Charmander, go!"

Brock smiled. "A Charmander, huh? You made it easy. Geodude, Defense Curl!"

"Charmander, Metal Claw!" Charmander rushed at Geodude, claws in front. The attack pushed Geodude back, damaging it moderately. Geodude came back to its initial position and stood still. Immediately, it curled itself up.

"Charmander, Metal Claw! Again!" Charmander rushed at Geodude yet again. Strangely, It did not move.

Brock called at the last moment. "Geodude, Rollout!"

Geodude spun itself and moved slowly towards Charmander. Gradually, it began to pick up speed and hit Charmander dead- on. Charmander was sent flying and crashed to the ground. Brock called Geodude to return. "Do you forfeit?" Red ran down to Charmander and rubbed its body, making it warm. Immediately, Charmander, albeit being badly hurt, stood up. It glared at Geodude, anger visible on its face. Geodude returned it with an equally cold stare. Geodude immediately spun and rushed at Charmander, faster this time. Red said, "Dodge it!"

But Charmander just stood there, holding its resolve. Geodude rammed into Charmander, but Charmander didn't budge. Red noticed Charmander's eyes turning blue. Charmander pulled its claws up and slashed Geodude. It spun hard and fell down. Charmander jumped up and dived right at Geodude and used a Metal Claw attack on its face. Geodude flew back and landed at Brock's feet. The referee called out, "Geodude has been defeated, making Charm-"

All of a sudden, Charmander's body began to glow a bright blue. Its appearance began changing. The back of its head started protruding into a horn- like structure. The claws on its hands and legs became bigger and sharper. Its fangs became sharper.

Red was shocked. He immediately ran down to where the blue light was emanating from. As it toned down, he noticed that the Pokemon's body had become a dark red. "Charmander, did you…. _evolve_?"

Charmeleon turned to Red and nodded. The surprised referee called out, "Sorry for the wait, but Charmeleon is the winner!"

Red and Charmeleon high- fived each other in joy. Brock called out, "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm not done."

Red turned to him. "What do you mean? I won." Brock clarified for him. "Yes, you _did_ beat Geodude, who is an Alolan variant, but not my ace Pokemon."

"What ace?"

Brock threw a Great Ball in the air. "_This _one."

Out came a huge, towering beast, about 30 feet tall, towering over both Charmeleon and Red. It roared angrily, making Charmeleon and Red get pushed back by its sheer voice.

Brock smiled. "Onix."


	5. Chapter 5: Onix, the Terror

**Chapter 5: Onix, the Terror**

_Hi. Sorry I couldn't release this Chapter as planned. Depending on your time zone, you will be reading this before or after my scheduled time. In any case, read the rest of Red's Gym Battle below!_

Onix towered over Charmeleon and Red. Red gulped a little at the turn of events and turned to Charmeleon. "You got this, buddy?" Charmeleon nodded. Red ran back to the podium and took a deep breath. "Charmeleon, Metal Claw!"

Charmeleon rushed with amazing speed at Onix, who was standing still and aloof to his surroundings. Charmeleon leapt up with great force and delivered a critical Metal Claw on Onix's lower jaw, leaving a scar on its face.

Brock smiled. "Onix, use Rock Tomb!"

Onix roared and hurled a large pile of rocks around Charmeleon, completely nullifying its manoeuvrability and Speed advantage. "Use Metal Claw to break out of the tomb!" Charmeleon spun around, clawing at the rocks one by one until they budged. It was only after seeing Charmeleon that Red noticed how fatigued and hurt Charmeleon was. Brock nodded at Onix, and Onix immediately proceeded to throw another pile of rocks right at Charmeleon. Without waiting for an order, Charmeleon leapt on the rocks, using the ones below as launch pads to reach up to Onix. Onix saw the attack coming, and instinctively raised its tail and slammed Charmeleon hard across the face, sending it careening over the Stadium and falling behind Red. Red was stunned.

_Charmeleon, he.. he got slammed across the entire Gym! But.. of course!_

"Charmeleon has been defeated, making Onix the winner!"

"Nice plan, Brock." Red said to Brock.

"What do you mean?"

"Using Onix's slow Speed stat as bait so Charmeleon would attack you… all while you were storing energy for a Bide attack."

Brock smiled. _You're not all that dumb after all. _"Well then, if you figured out my plan, come on ahead and try to defeat me. I already told you, my Pokemon don't lose. They have that same grit in them to win, just like me. That is why I win and why you lose, trainer.

"My name is Red." Red said, his anger rising. He returned Charmeleon back to its Pokeball. "And you haven't won. Not yet. Not while my trump card is left."

"What?"

"Bulbasaur, I choose you!"

Bulbasaur, energetic as ever, stood in front of Onix. Onix immediately rushed at Bulbasaur, going for its powerful Tackle attack. "Bulbasaur, dodge it and use Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur used Onix's tail as a ridge to jump over and wrapped Onix around with vines, continually lashing it and inflicting maximum damage onto it. Onix roared louder than ever and shook itself free.

Brock was furious. "Rock Tomb!" He yelled.

Onix hurled large rocks on Bulbasaur, but the nifty Pokemon wrapped two large ones with vines and hurled them right back at Onix and caused minimal damage to it. Onix rushed towards Bulbasaur and wrapped it with its entire body coiling around Bulbasaur.

"This is Onix's Bind attack. Bulbasaur can't escape _this!"_

Red was panicking. Bulbasaur was losing consciousness and energy by the second. Red suddenly had an idea. "Bulbasaur, use Leech Seed!"

Bulbasaur shot three big seeds from its bulb onto Onix. The seeds latched around its body and started draining its energy and giving it to Bulbasaur. Not able to endure the pain, Onix let go of Bulbasaur. In that split second, on Red's command, Bulbasaur released both its vines and smacked Onix across the face twice, causing it finally fall flat on the ground. A huge dust cloud was raised up by the sheer force of Onix falling down.

When the dust cleared, both Pokemon were down. "Both Bulbasaur and Onix have fainted, making this match a draw!" The referee called.

Red said, "Wait. I have one more Pokemon left." He released Pikachu outside and it immediately jumped on Red's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek, completely unaware of the epic battle that Red had just won. As Red was returning Bulbasaur to its Pokeball, Brock knelt on one knee, dumbfounded. "How? By a kid, even…. I… I…" Brock took a deep breath, and walked up to Red.

"You deserve this victory. I took you for granted, and that's why I lost. Congratulations, Red. You are the proud owner of the Boulder Badge." Red could hardly believe his eyes as Brock handed him the Badge and a special box to store all the Badges in. "A gift for your victory. Oh! Take this TM as well."

Red took the Case with a blank stare. Brock explained, "That is a TM or Technical Machine. It can teach a Pokemon moves that it doesn't learn by levelling up. Unlike regular TM's, thanks to a breakthrough in science, TM's can be reused for different Pokemon. This is TM37 for Rock Tomb, my signature move."

Red flashed back to Onix hurling rocks at his Pokemon. "Yeah, I noticed."

As he was leaving, he turned around and asked Brock, " So where to next?"

"Cerulean City. But you'll have to get through Mount Moon."

Red left Pewter Gym and headed to the Pokemon Center to heal his team. As he walked in, the nurse walked to him and immediately took his Pokemon for healing. She also called Red and said, "You have a call. Urgent."

Red ran to the PC and picked up the voice message. He saw the name of the dialler on the screen. He immediately called Professor Oak.

"Ah, Red! You_ actually _did it!" As Red thought of his recent victory, he suddenly remembered. "Oh no! Your parcel in Viridian, I didn't get it for you!"

Oak brushed it off, saying, "It's fine. I counted on you to forget. I sent one of my Aides to pick it up."

Red was curious. "If you don't mind, can I see the parcel, Professor?"

Oak took the parcel out and showed it to Red. "I had ordered for a custom- made Pokeball from a renowned man called Kurt in the Johto region. Along with Professor Elm from Johto, he designed the Pokeball to sustain the power of a Mythical Pokemon."

The blank stare on Red's face made it clear.

"Tell you what, go to Cerulean City. You can meet the famous researcher Bill, a protégé of mine. I'll tell him you're coming. Go take a crash course from him on Pokemon. It might come in handy someday."

"Okay, I'll go there. Bye, Professor."

"Take care, Red. Bye!"

Red got out of the Pokemon Center and walked to the right where one of Professor Oak's Aides was standing. He saw Red and gave him a parcel. "These contain Running Shoes. A present from the Professor to congratulate you on your victory. I have work at the Lab, so I must go now. It comes with Instructions!" He hurriedly left off.

Red took his old Shoes and stuffed them inside an extra Compartment in his Bag. He wore the Running Shoes and ran around the greenery a few times. They really did put a zip in his step.

Feeling happy, Red went back to the Pokemon Center and took a seat and eventually, started dozing off.

Today was a good day.


	6. Chapter 6: Team Rocket Arrives

**Chapter 6: Team Rocket Arrives**

_Sorry that this took so long! My exams just got over and school started right after. So, I was a little caught up on work, but I'm free now. Here we go! Read on and enjoy, guys!_

Red stood at the entrance to Mount Moon, the famed mountain, said to be the home of Clefairy and Clefable, who were long thought to have originated in space.

Red took out a Repel from his Bag and sprayed it all over him. This made sure that weaker Pokemon would not be attracted to his presence when he entered the cave. As he walked in, he was shoved by a man in a lab coat. The scientist apologised to Red and hurriedly ran off.

Inside the cave, Red wandered around through an opening in the right side of the cave. There, he saw two men in black outfits entering a deeper part of the cave through a ladder. He cautiously followed them below. As he got down, he saw them just turning right and out of his eyesight. As he turned right, he saw both of them split up. "You look for it in there and I'll go in there. Hurry."

Red followed the one going right, and was led into a room that was sealed on three sides. The man in the outfit suddenly turned around and saw Red. "Hey! What do you think you're doing here? Are you _snooping_?"

Red took a step back. "I don't want any trouble. I was just exploring-"

The man smiled. "_Sure._ In fact, we in Team Rocket have a name for 'explorers'. Now then, Zubat! Go!"

Red immediately drew his Pokeball. "Pikachu, I choose you!"

Pikachu popped out of its capsule and stared Zubat down. The small bat flew at an amazing speed and headed staright for Pikachu. Pikachu dived to the right and dodged a Tackle attack. "Zubat, use Leech Life!" Zubat bared its fangs and dived at Pikachu, sinking a fang into Pikachu and drained some energy. "Thundershock!" Pikachu jumped in the air and let out jolts of electricity, rendering Zubat defeated. The Rocket grunt tripped back on the floor.

"Hey, idiot, keep it dow-" His partner noticed Red right in front of him. He then took out a phone and sent a message. "Code R4! Mount Moon!"

Red noticed an opening and ran past the grunts, leading to a chase between the three. He hurriedly climbed up the ladder and ran towards another opening, but was confronted by another set of grunts coming up the ladder.

In a hurry, Red ran past them too and made his way down the last ladder. He sent out Charmeleon. "Use Metal Claw on the ladder!" Charmeleon raised its paw and slashed the ladder, breaking it in half. Red ran up the ladder on the other side and returned Charmeleon back in his Pokeball. As he kept running, he saw the same scientist, the one who had hurried past him, go towards an opening in the cave and saw two Rocket grunts guarding it. One of them left upstairs and Red saw his opportunity. He tried to sneak his way in, but the grunt noticed him and sent out a Rattata. "Go, Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur came out of the Pokeball and stared down the Rattata. Immediately it sent out its vines and smacked the Rattata across the face twice. Rattata simply fell flat on the ground. The grunt ran for help and Red made his way to the scientist. He hid behind a boulder just in time to overhear him speaking on the phone.

"Hello, boss? It's Gideon. I found the fossil you were talking about. It's in the deepest chamber in Mount Moon. Send backup. Over."

A cultured voice returned the call. "Understood, Gideon. I'll have Proton or Petrel come by to have a look. In the meantime, make sure that fossil is well- guarded. We don't want that R4 to repeat, _do we_?" Gideon gulped. "Y- yes, sir. I mean no. No, we don't, sir." The raspy voice said, " Good."

Making sure no one was behind, Red walked up to Gideon and said, "Hey, you. What's over there?"

The scientist raised his eyebrows. "I'm not telling you that."

Red walked up to him and said, "Alright, fine. How about we have a battle to decide if either _I get a fossil and leave _or _I battle you, win and take both of them_?" The scientist took a step back, scared. 'Look, y- you can't do this to me… I'm just a researcher. And because… I needed time to inform them."

"What?"

Several Rocket grunts rushed through the opening and surrounded Red from all sides. They then separated to make way for a man with purple hair in a black jumpsuit with a red R emblazoned on the middle. He walked up to Red, with an air of superiority about him, unlike most of the Rocket grunts. "My name is Petrel, child. I am part of the organisation you now know as Team Rocket. We are_ extremely_ dangerous and are not to be messed with. Understand?"

Red nodded his head, extremely scared. Petrel smiled. "Good. Now then, you seem to be a surprisingly good battler. So why don't you battle Gideon here and I'll let you go _scot- free_."

"And the catch is?" Asked Red. Petrel started laughing. "My word, you're smart. The catch is that _if _you win, you walk away from this place and you vow _never_ to step foot into our business ever again. Clear?"

Gideon stammered. "But, I was told you would take one and I-I wo-"

Petrel silenced him. "Just get it over with. He's just a child."

Gideon sent out his Voltorb.

_Voltorb. The Ball Pokemon. Electric type._

Red sent out Bulbsasaur. "Voltorb, use Screech!" Voltorb sent out a high- pitched noise, causing Bulbasaur to let down its guard and crawl on the ground. "Voltorb, Swift!" Voltorb sent out star- like projectiles towards Bulbasaur. They landed right on target. Bulbasaur got up and snarled at Voltorb. "Alright, use Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur landed a deafening blow on Voltorb's eye, rendering it immobilised. Bulbasaur then launched itself into a Tackle attack, knocking Voltorb a few feet behind. Voltorb was out. "Tch. Didn't want this." Gideon sent out a Magnemite. Red withdrew Bulbasaur and sent Charmeleon out.

_Magnemite. The Magnet Pokemon, a Steel- Electric type._

A few Rocket grunts instinctively stepped back.

Charmeleon, without waiting for Red's command, sent out an Ember attack that scorched Magnemite and left it with a burn effect that slowly dealt damage to Magnemite. Magnemite slowly hovered backward, terribly hurt by the attack, but lasted far too short as Charmeleon jumped up and shot out another Ember, driving Magnemite into the ground and defeating it. Red returned Charmeleon. "Easy."

Petrel smiled. "Well then. You seem to be living up to the hype. I'll let you take any one of these fossils, kid. As an extra bonus, you get to choose from three- the Dome, the Helix or the Old Amber." Petrel added, "All three are equally important to us, but we can make do with two." Red thought awhile and said, "I don't want them." Petrel was confused. "Beg your pardon, kid?"

"I don't want them." Petrel was thoroughly confused. "But why? I'm giving you the offer of a lifetime! Go ahead, take one. I insist."

Red was adamant. "I'd rather not. I don't _just _take Fossils, forget stealing them and selling them, or worse, experimenting on them. I'd rather leave empty- handed than be holding something precious from someoneillegal.

Petrel walked up to Red. "Well then, goodbye. It appears your exploration is over. The exit is that way."

Red turned back and climbed up the exit. Petrel threw a fossil at Gideon and walked away. The grunts, afraid of angering him, followed him back.

After arriving in Cerulean City, Red stopped by to grab something to eat. It had been days since his last meal. As he headed to the Pokemon Center, he saw Blue walk out of a yellow- walled building to the far east of the city and head towards a bridge. Just after, he saw a young girl with red hair, probably just 11 or 12 years old, carrying two Pokeballs and running to the Center.

Just as Red was about to walk inside, he saw a man in a trenchcoat and a hat walk through the same bridge Blue did. He decided to follow the man in the trenchcoat.


	7. Chapter 7: Showdown in Cerulean City

**Chapter 7: Showdown in Cerulean City**

_Sorry that this took quite long. I lost the original Chapter 7 document and was caught up on other stuff. So I decided to take a quick break, but I'm back and Chapter 7 is below. Go ahead!_

Red rushed towards the bridge, but it was blocked off by the police. He noticed one of them standing next to a door. Red walked to him and asked, "Sir, what happened here?" The officer looked at Red and said, "Oh, there was a break- in. Not much stolen, except a few Pokedollars and a TM."

Red asked the officer, "May I go over the bridge? It's really important."

"Sorry, it's blocked off. I can't help you even if I wanted to."

Feeling dejected, Red just decided to loiter around Cerulean City for the time being. After about 10 minutes, Red noticed the yellow- walled building. _Of course! The Cerulean Gym!_ Red ran towards the Gym and opened the door. He walked inside, but found the building completely empty, save for one or two Pokemon swimming around in the water. As he walked towards the Gym Leader's podium, a sudden noise scared the wits out of him. He screamed in horror and fell flat on his face. The one who made the commotion came out of the water and looked at Red, both surprise and disgust on her face.

"Two questions. Who? Why?" The person (who, as Red soon discovered, was the same redhead who ran into the Pokemon Center) was actually Misty, the Cerulean Gym Leader.

"Uh… my name's Red. I came here to fight the Gym Leader." Red stuttered in front of her. Misty sighed and said, "Name's Misty. Gym Leader."

"Cool! Let's fight!" Red yelled excitedly and immediately realised he went one octave too high and apologised. She sighed once more and turned to Red. "Fine then. 2v2. No rematches. Deal?" Red thought it over for a while and asked, "Why?"

"Because the last kid who came in here threw a _hissy fit_ after he lost. Not for lack of trying, I'll tell you. Started muttering and went off to the Nugget Bridge."

"The _what _bridge?"

"How's this? If you don't end up like him, you get a free explanation.

Red drew his hat backwards. "Okay then . Without further ado…."

"Go, Staryu!"

"Go, Pikachu!"

_Staryu. The Star Shape Pokemon. Water Type._

Misty laughed. "Just because you have an Electric- type doesn't mean that you can win."

Red retorted. "No. But it gives me the _advantage_. Quick Attack, full speed!" A bright white light formed around Pikachu's body. The next moment, it was but a blur. The very next, it was standing well behind Staryu, a victorious smirk on its face. Staryu staggered for a moment and tumbled down. Misty was shocked. "H- _how_?" Red smiled and said, "I told you. _Advantage._"

Misty turned red. "Staryu, use Tackle!" Red calmly said, "Pikachu, use Thundershock." Pikachu stood there, waiting for Staryu to attack and when it did, Pikachu stood its ground, not budging an inch. It grabbed Staryu by the fin and charged its body to an extremely high level. Red pushed Pikachu on. "Come on, Pikachu! Just… a… little… further!" Pikachu's entire body turned a bright yellow and big jolts of electricity started pouring out of its body. Pikachu finally released its hold and let out all the electricity into one shot. When the light finally died down, Pikachu was panting and down on all fours. Staryu was nowhere to be seen.

The faint noise of rubble awoke Misty from a trance. When she turned around, there was a monstrous dent in the wall and Staryu was lying beneath it, utterly defeated. She returned Staryu to its Pokeball and asked Red, "_What was that_?" Red was equally dumbfounded. He ran to Pikachu and took his Pokedex out. He asked, "Dex, scan Pokemon." The Pokedex immediately shone a light at Pikachu's entire body and turned off. When it turned on, it said-

_Scan complete._

_Pikachu. Male gender. Naïve nature._

_Level 21. Moveset- Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, Double Kick and Thunderbolt._

Red was confused. "When did THIS happen?"

Misty was now confused. "Wait, you didn't _know _this would happen?" Shaking her head, she said, "Alright, lucky. I have one more Pokemon left. It's _not over._"

"If you say so." Misty grunted.

"Starmie, go!"

_Starmie. The Mysterious Pokemon. Water and Psychic type._

Pikachu stood there, defiantly. As Starmie and Pikachu stared each other down, Red asked, "Shall we?"

Misty laughed and said, "By all means. Rapid Spin, go!"

"Quick Attack, now!" Pikachu charged up a little energy and sped like a blur towards Starmie. It landed a heavy blow on Starmie's crystal, cracking it slightly. As Pikachu came to a halt, Starmie, much to Red's surprise, immediately turned around and spun like a disc and landed a barrage of jabs on Pikachu's abdomen, sending it flying back to Red's side of the Arena.

Misty laughed even louder now. "See? You may have strong Pokemon, but you will _never _best Starmie. Rapid Spin, again!" Starmie rushed towards Pikachu and landed a barrage attack yet again, rendering Pikachu immobile. However, as Starmie bounded back to Misty, it suddenly faltered in its step and collapsed. Misty was shocked. "_Paralysis_?"

Red immediately understood. "It's Pikachu's Ability. _Static. _When the oppon-"

"Shut up, lucky! I know what Static is. Starmie, finish it off with Water Pulse!" Starmie, albeit a little slower, sprayed a ring of water at Pikachu's immobile form. Red closed his eyes. "Get up! Come on, Pikachu, get up!"

Pikachu didn't move. It was still gasping for air.

"Get up, Pikachu!"

Still gasping for air. Barely immobile and in pain.

"GET UP, PIKACHU!"

The Water Pulse landed directly. When the water faded, Red couldn't believe the sight. A flash of yellow blurred past Starmie, even past Misty. Misty turned around and there stood Pikachu, limping but defiant, as always. Starmie staggered back and then forth and finally collapsed onto the hard ground, unconscious.

Pikachu ran back to Red and nuzzled his shirt. Red stroked its head lovingly and said, "You were amazing, buddy. I'm proud of you." He saw Misty walk towards him with something in her hand. She smiled at Red. "Here you go. As proof of your victory against me, I confer you with the Cascade Badge. Congrats, lucky." Red smiled. "Thank you for the battle." Just as he was about to leave, he asked Misty, "Uh, do you know who Bill is?"

Misty thought awhile and said, "I think I do. Isn't he the man who lives north of town, near the lake?" Red smiled and said, "Okay, thanks. Bye!" Misty returned Starmie to its Pokeball and said, "Cute guy, though-"

"Hey, Misty! Daydreaming?" A girl with violet hair asked. Misty turned around and said, "I'm not _daydreaming_, Violet." Violet replied, "Okay, whatever. Did you give him the TM , though?" Misty turned pale. "The TM for Wa… _Oh no._"

She ran outside the Gym just in time to see Red exit the Pokemon Center. "Hey, uh…."

_Wow. I don't know who he is._

"Uh… guy! Hey! You forgot something! I- I mean _I forgot_ to give something _to you_! Wait!"

Red turned around just in time to see Misty slow down too late, resulting in them bumping into each other awkwardly, Misty's palm crashing into Red's nose. Red doubled back in pain. "OWWWWW! Nose! Definitely nose! OW!"

Misty recoiled. "Heh… sorry. Anyway, I forgot to give you this, so… here you go. TM03. Water Pulse. Yeah, so… I gotta go. Sorry 'bout your nose, uh…."

Red, still clutching his nose, said, "Red. From Pallet Town."

Misty nodded her head and ran off. Pikachu, who was standing behind Red the entire time, let out a cry in curiosity and climbed onto Red's shoulder. Red turned to him and said, "Well, that was awkward." Pikachu turned around at Red and smiled. "Alright, alright, you can tell the others, but don't brag. Deal?" Pikachu seemed to understand what Red said and nodded its head. "Okay then. To Bill's Lab." He ran towards the exit and turned right. As he did, he saw the same man in the coat he saw earlier head off inside the mouth of a cave opposite the city. He asked a passerby, "Sir, what's that cave over there?" The passerby said, "New here, huh? That, _of course_, is Cerulean Cave. Lotta strong Pokemon in there." Red nodded his head, thanked the man and ran towards an opening in between a row of houses, where he saw a bridge where trainers were lined up. As he took all his Pokemon out for a refresher, he heard the distinct footsteps of someone running. As he turned around, he saw a boy, a little taller, running towards him. As the person came closer, Red's eyes widened.

It was Blue. And he was headed right for Red.


	8. Chapter 8: Bill, The Pokemon Researcher

**Chapter 8: Bill, the Pokemon Researcher**

_I would like to formally apologize for the hiatus. My laptop is FUBAR and I have been working on this with my phone. Sorry again, and read on!_

Blue ran quickly and stopped just short of Red. He looked him straight in the eye and said, "Wow, look at you, all tickets up and trailing behind me. I feel sorry for you- is what I'd be saying if I didn't despise you. All the same, I see you have another Badge, Red. The one from Cerulean City." Blue looked a little salty, but Red knew why. " Yeah, I did. On that note, I see _you've _been travelling elsewhere. And with just one Badge. Wow."

Blue snarled. " Watch the mouth, Red. Don't want you to get beat up, now." Red retorted shortly. " What's that, your new motto?" Red could see the anger rising in his face. " That's IT! Time to battle!"

As if on cue, Red sent out Pikachu and Blue sent out a Pidgeotto. _The __evolved form of Pidgey. _Red shouted, "Use Quick Attack! Full speed!" Blue countered. " Dodge and use Tackle!" Pikachu used Quick Attack, covering itself in a brilliant white light. It ran at unbelievable speeds towards Pidgeotto. The nifty Pokemon, however, dodged it brilliantly and slammed its body into Pikachu's abdomen. Red was now worried. Blue started laughing. " How about it, Red? You can't beat me this time!" Red smiled and said, " As long as my Pokemon haven't gone down, neither will I. Got it?"

Pikachu nodded in unison. Blue was surprised. " Meh, whatever. TIME TO END THIS!"

" Use Thunderbolt!"

" Use Gust!"

Pikachu charged its body up to an extremely high level and let all the energy out in an instant at Pidgeotto. Three bolts of lightning charged right at Pidgeotto, knocking out down in an instant. Pikachu breathed heavily for it was extremely worn out by the attack. Blue flinched a little and returned Pidgeotto back to its Pokeball. He said, " Not bad, Red. You're keeping up. But that's certainly not my last Pokemon! Go, Abra!" Out came a small child-like Pokemon. Red pulled out his Pokedex.

_Abra. The Psi Pokemon. Height 0.9 cm, weight 43 lbs._

Blue smiled and said, " This Pokemon has an amazing array of moves to knock opponents out. You might as well accept de-" And Abra cut him short by teleporting behind Blue, then far away on the other side of the bridge. Blue sighed and said, ' Abra…. Return." He shook his head and said, " All right, fine. Go, Rattata!" Pikachu meanwhile had been lying flat on its back out of boredom. On seeing a challenger, it sprung up in vigour. Pikachu and Rattata stared each other down for a moment. Blue broke the ice. " Use Quick Attack!" Red responded and said, " Use Thunderbolt, now!" Rattata began charging down its path right to Pikachu and slammed into its body, sending it flying. " Pikachu, get up! Get up!" Red tried waking Pikachu up, but it had fainted to the attack. Red sent out Bulbasaur. Blue looked a little dumbfounded, and said, " Isn't that a Bulbasaur? Where did_ you_ get one?" Red replied, " If you manage to win this battle, I'll tell you." Blue smirked and sent out his Squirtle. " Use Tackle, now!" Red smiled and said, " Easy pickings, buddy! Use Vine Whip, full power!" Bulbasaur immediately bound Squirtle in vines, dealing high damage by tossing and flaying it all over the place. Squirtle was on the verge of fainting, which made Blue even more desperate to win. " Come on, Squirtle! Land a hit!"

Squirtle tried to break free but to no avail. Bulbasaur had a tight grip on Squirtle and managed to clinch the win. Blue knelt down and hit the ground. " Tch. Every time… You.. How do you do it?"

Red was a little confused. " What?"

Blue reined in his emotions and said, " Just piss off, Red. I don't want the agony of having to see you." And walked off in anger.

Red took a deep breath and walked toward the Pokemon Center.

**A few hours later… **

" That's enough. Everyone huddle up." Pikachu and Charmeleon huddled near Red, but Bulbasaur kept lashing Vine Whips at every single rock near it, not stopping once. Red walked up and said, " Alright, buddy, you can st- "

Bulbasaur paid no heed to Red and kept lashing at the rocks. All of a sudden, a blue light emanated from its eyes, then its entire body.

_Whoa, just like when Charmander evolv- wait. No way. Is Bulbasaur- ?_ Not wasting time, Red pulled the Pokedex out. As he pulled it out, he saw Bulbasaur's bulb unravel into a set of leaves, and the legs getting bigger and stronger. Its voice became more raspy and the claws became sharper. As the blue light faded, Red saw it clearly- Ivysaur.

_Ivysaur- the evolution of Bulbasaur. Grass and Poison type._

" Congrats, Ivysaur! You evolved!" Everyone huddled around Ivysaur, who seemed rather pleased at being the center of attention. Returning all three of his Pokemon, Red walked down Route 25.

As he walked farther, he could see a serene little house next to a lake. He entered the house, but found only a Clefairy trying to reach for a PC that it was obviously too short to reach. On hearing footsteps, the Clefairy turned around and said, " Halt! Who's there?" Red was absolutely horrified at hearing a masculine voice come from a childlike Pokemon and screamed, " AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

The 'Clefairy' stopped him and said, " Hey, cut it out! I'm not a Pokemon, my name is Bill! I'm a true- blue Pokemon researcher!

Red still needed time to recuperate, and stood frozen in disbelief for a few moments before turning to Bill. " So what's with the Clefairy look?" Bill sighed and said, " I was trying to learn about Pokemon languages and their biology. So, I fused with a Clefairy and here we are. I _would_ like to turn back to normal, but I can't reach the PC. C- could you help me? Please?"

Red smiled and said, " Anything to get _this_ outta my brain. So, what do I do?"

Bill said, " Just press the Space Bar once. Not twice, not thrice. _Once_."

Red walked over to the PC, and Bill stepped into a closed space linked to another one via a large tube. Red shouted, " When should I press it?"

Bill's muffled voice said, " Whenever you like, kid."

Red pressed the Space Bar. Suddenly, the closed space shone with a yellow light. Out emerged a brown- haired, tall man. He walked over to Red, and said, " Thanks a million! Wouldn't have been able to come back without you. So, why are ya here?" Red replied, " Professor Oak sent me. You see, I'm on a journey to defeat the Pokemon League, and complete the Pokedex which the Professor gave me." Bill sat down on a chair (the only one in the entire house) and said, "Hmm. So, in order for you to do that, your next stop would be Vermillion City. There you can fight the third Gym Leader. Oh! You can take this too. It's for a cruise party, but I hate that stuff. You can go instead.'

Red thanked Bill and was about to leave, when he remembered something. " What's the deal with Cerulean Cave?" Bill replied, "It's a cave where some of the strongest Pokemon reside. If you wanna go there, you need all 8 Gym Badges and the HM for Surf." Red was confused. " Oh, HM means Hidden Machine. They're like TM's except much rarer, and they help you access certain blocked-off areas, like Cerulean Cave." Red thanked Bill once again and left.

On his way back, Red noticed that the house which had been robbed was open. He went inside and saw a man looking dejected. He asked him whether he could explore the place, and the man nodded absent- mindedly. He saw a clearing in the wall, and walked through it. He saw a Rocket grunt just standing there for no apparent reason. He walked up to him and asked, " What're you doing here?"

The grunt was surprised and said, " Why, I'm an innocent bystander!"

Red's deadpan face seemed to anger him. "Don't believe me? Fine! Machop, go!"

Charmeleon, I choose you!"

Charmeleon stared the Machop down. Red said, " Use Smokescreen!" Charmeleon spewed thick, black smoke from its nostrils, completely baffling Machop. "Use Dragon Rage!" Charmeleon powered up, engulfing itself in a purple light. It then rushed towards Machop and slashed it in the face, knocking it out instantly. The grunt panicked, threw a TM and ran off.

Red went back into the house and gave the TM to the man, who rejoiced instantly. He smiled and said, "It's alright. Keep it. Consider it a thank- you gift."

Red proceeded to follow the path suggested by the man, and walked towards an exit in the distance. Suddenly, he heard a deafening noise above him. It was a helicopter. He could barely make out the people in it, but recognised one- the man in the trenchcoat. Not for the first time, he wondered who it was.

_Hi there! So I'll be posting Red's team and their levels and movesets at the end of each chapter.._

_Charmeleon Lvl. 22_

_Ember, Scratch, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage_

_Pikachu Lvl. 24_

_Quick Attack, Slam, Thunderbolt, Double Team._

_Ivysaur Lvl. 20_

_Tackle, Vine Whip, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf._


	9. Chapter 9: The SS Anne

**Chapter 9: The SS Anne**

_So I was going to upload this right after the previous one, but it got delayed a little. Sorry for the delay, and read on…_

Red climbed out of the Underground Path, clutching the ticket to the cruise ship in his hands. He walked through a pathway and reached Vermilion City, where the next Gym was supposed to be. He turned right and saw a Pokemon Center. Strangely, when he entered, there was no one inside. " Huh. Don't mind waiting, I guess."

After a few minutes, Red finally saw the Nurse enter. On seeing Red, she asked, " Um, have you been waiting here?" Red simply nodded his head. She apologized. " Sorry, I was doing a check- up on some of the wild Pokemon around Route 6." She fidgeted for a moment and spoke up. " Listen, I know it's a lot to ask, but could you do me a favour? When I was returning here, I saw this by the coast. I was hoping you would like to have it." She proceeded to open her Bag, gently laying it down. She took out what appeared to be an Egg. It was a bright blue hue, like the sea. Red immediately said, "Of course I'd like to have it!"

Back in the open, Red kept looking at the Egg tentatively. It had been nearly 3 hours since he got the Egg. By then, his Pokemon had also surrounded the Egg. Charmeleon kept the Egg near its tail flame to keep it warm. Ivysaur helped everyone carry the Egg using its vines, and Pikachu was left to do nothing but sniff the Egg and nuzzle it with its cheeks. After a good deal of walking around and exploring the city, Ivysaur laid down the Egg all of a sudden. Red asked, "Hey, what are you doing?", but the Egg seemed to answer that question. Weird sounds began coming from the Egg. The next moment, cracks appeared on its surface. Then, in a blinding white light, the Egg hatched, leaving behind a baby Squirtle. Charmeleon, Pikachu and Ivysaur surrounded Squirtle and seemed to greet it. Red walked up to Squirtle and said, " Hi there. I'm Red." Squirtle immediately waddled towards Red and hugged his arm. Red smiled and said, "So you're going to join my team?" Squirtle nodded enthusiastically.

Red rushed towards Vermilion Port. He could see the boat much better from here. On its side were the words 'SS Anne' emblazoned in red. Red walked up to the dock. He was just about to climb into the entrance when a sailor stopped him and said, " Hold your Horseas there, son! You ain't gettin' on this boat without a ticket!" Red showed him the SS ticket. The man let him pass and Red climbed on to the ship. Upon entering, another sailor greeted him and said, "G'day, lad! I just wanna inform ya, the SS Anne is _different_ from other cruise ships, in the sense that our cap'n is the first and foremost Cut Master! That's right! He is the first known human to use the HM Cut. Fact is, you talk to him, he might give ya one o' the Machines!"

Red went inside his cabin and got a good rest. By the time he had woken up, his Pokemon had also gotten healed up. He headed towards the second floor, where the captain was supposed to be. On the way, he had met a few people- one of them claiming to be an International Police Member on Team Rocket's trail. _So much for 'trust me, I'm an adult',_ thought Red as he walked towards the Captain's quarters. As he turned to the left, he saw Blue walk down. As Blue turned around, he saw Red standing there. He groaned out loud and said, "I smell with my nose… a retard. You just don't quit, do ya?" Red countered. "Says Mr. Sobble." Blue ignored the jibe and said, "I went up there to get the HM Cut, but all I found was a seasick man. Waste of my time. Tch….. Well, Red, how about it? Let's have a rematch and see who _really_ is the best! Pidgeotto, go!" Red sent out Pikachu. "Use Thunderbolt!" Blue said, "Dodge and use Quick Attack!" Pikachu charged up and sent jolts of electricity flying towards Pidgeotto- some managed to land, others were dodged. Pidgeotto swooped down and sped towards Pikachu. The sheer speed of the attack, combined with Pidgeotto's sufficient bulk, was enough to deal high amounts of damage. Pikachu slammed into the wall, but recovered quickly. Red flinched a little. "I.. how..? No problem, use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu sent mind- blowing amounts of electricity out of its cheeks, enough to halt Pidgeotto in its tracks. Pidgeotto strained to overcome the pain, but succumbed to the attack and fell on the floor. Blue's face was still. He said, "Go, Raticate!" A pudgy, brown, buck- toothed rat came out of Blue's Pokeball. Red opened the Pokedex.

_Raticate. The Mouse Pokemon, and the evolved form of Rattata._

Pikachu limped a little from the impact it had taken, but seemed mostly fine. "Raticate, use Quick Attack!" Red countered. "Use Thunderbolt!" Raticate ran at a surprisingly fast rate and knocked Pikachu down. Pikachu staggered a little and got up. It charged up its body and let out multiple jolts of electricity flying. Raticate tried to move, but was hit by the attack almost instantaneously. Raticate wobbled and fell down. As it got up, it had a spasm and fell down. Red made a mental note. _Paralysis._ The battle was now firmly in Red's favour. Red looked at Blue, a triumphant smile on his face, but Blue simply smiled back. "Raticate, use Hyper Fang!" Raticate leapt up high in the air and descended towards a severely weakened Pikachu, and bit it squarely in the shoulder, knocking it out.

Red was shocked. "Pikachu! You okay?" Pikachu barely managed to stand up. Red reassured it and returned it to its Pokeball. Red breathed and sent out Charmeleon. "Use Dragon Rage!" Charmeleon powered up its body and charged towards a paralyzed Raticate. All that was left was a purple blur as Raticate fell flat on its belly. Charmeleon walked back to Red, and stood on guard for the next opponent. Blue sent out Wartortle- _the evolved form of _Squirtle- out to counter Charmeleon. Red said, "Use Scratch!" Blue responded. "Use Bubble!" Wartortle sent a barrage of fast- moving bubbles towards Charmeleon, slowing it down considerably. Charmeleon moved out of the way and slashed Wartortle across the face. Wartortle instinctively responded with another Bubble attack, this time aiming for the tail. "No, dodge them!" Charmeleon leapt out of the way and charged itself up for a Dragon Rage attack. "Use Withdraw!" Wartortle retreated into its shell, thereby increasing its defensive prowess. Charmeleon lunged out at Wartortle. The residual haze produced by Dragon Rage left both sides anxious for the outcome. When the haze cleared, both Wartortle and Charmeleon were panting heavily out of fatigue and damage. Both charged towards each other and exchanged heavy blows. At the end, both fell down, neither willing to give in but both ready to duke it out again. Both were returned to their Pokeballs. Blue smiled and said, "Not bad, Red. I must say I'm thoroughly enjoying myself." Red could only laugh. "Would you believe me if I said the same thing?" Both revelled in the moment of rivalry.

"Go, Kadabra!"

"It's up to you, Ivysaur!"

Ivysaur confidently smiled and growled at Kadabra. Blue gave Red the answer to his confused thoughts. "My Abra evolved a while ago, not long after our previous battle. Don't be fooled- this Pokemon is as strong as it looks. And NO, it _does_ listen to me." Red smiled and said, "Use Leech Seed!" Ivysaur deftly shot a handful of sprout seeds at Kadabra, binding it and framing its energy gradually. Kadabra flinched a little and readied itself. Without any ado, it unleashed a purple wave of psychic energy at Ivysaur, rendering it immobile for a few moments. Ivysaur quickly got up. Blue merely closed his eyes and Kadabra launched another psychic attack at Ivysaur. Ivysaur got up and growled menacingly at its opponent. "Use Vine Whip! Full power!" Ivysaur launched its vines at Kadabra, attacking it from multiple sides at once. Kadabra kneeled down from the severe damage it had taken. Ivysaur, meanwhile, was a little fatigued. Red was nervous- what would he say if he lost? Red steeled himself and called out to Ivysaur. "Don't give up now! Use Vine Whip again!" Ivysaur launched another Vine Whip attack, but Kadabra got up and immediately used it's strongest move- Confusion. Ivysaur went giddy as soon as it was hit by the super- effective attack, and fainted. Red felt humiliated and returned Ivysaur when a thought crossed his mind.

_What if I use Squirtle? That should give me a turn to try and heal up someone._

Suddenly, an image flashed in his eyes- little Squirtle crying himself happily on being taken in by Red's team. Red felt ashamed for even thinking of putting Squirtle in such a position. He said out loud, "I accept defeat."

_**A wise decision.**_

_Who are you?_

_**Your rival's Kadabra.**_

_You can.. talk?_

_**Yes and no. I, like several Psychic Pokemon, can use telepathy. That is also why my trainer was able to command my moves despite not talking.**_

_You read my mind, didn't you?_

_**Yes. It is an honorable deed you have done.**_

_Gee, thanks._

Blue smiled. He had won. _Finally.. I did it. I proved to him that I am stronger than him._

Red sighed and walked up to Blue. He smiled and stretched his hand out. Blue recognised the gesture and shook his hand. Red finally said, "Congrats, you won." Blue responded. "Trust me, you better be just as serious next time we meet." Red smiled and said, "You can count on it."

Back at Vermilion Port, Red eyed the HM he got from the Captain. The memory still played on in the back of his mind, as the kindly old man gave him the only HM he had as a thanks for getting him something to eat. Red walked into the Pokemon Center, his mind on the next challenge- the Vermilion City Gym.

_So, Blue beat Red! And now it's time for the obligatory explanations…_

_Charmeleon Lvl.23_

_Ember, Metal Claw, Smokescreen, Dragon Rage._

_Pikachu Lvl.24_

_Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Double Team, Slam._

_Ivysaur Lvl.20_

_Leech Seed, Vine Whip, Tackle, Razor Leaf._


	10. Chapter 10: The Electric General!

**Chapter 10: The Electric General!**

_So, I'm finally back. I know, I know, another hiatus, but now things seem to be looking up, which means I might be able to post once or twice a week. But enough about my stuff. Continue to find out the next of Red's adventures!_

"Squirtle, use Water Gun!"

Squirtle leapt into the air and shot a speeding mouthful of water from its mouth. The Sandshrew on the opposite side immediately ran away for fear of its life. Squirtle bounced up and down on the ground, in a victory pose. Red leaned down and patted Squirtle on the head. "Good job, buddy! You're almost caught up with the rest of the team!" Squirtle turned to see Ivysaur smashing a rock to smithereens using Vine Whip. A little further away were Pikachu and Charmeleon, slashing and headbutting away at a tree. To Red, it seemed like they were playing a game only they understood, taking turns and lashing away at their target. It was methodical, intelligent and very swift. Red smiled as he walked up to his team.

"Good. Everyone is training to the limit. I'm impressed, you guys!" Red returned his Pokemon into the Pokeballs and turned towards the city. He was a little worried about this one. Lieutenant Surge. He had spent days watching some of Surge's matches. _The guy is ruthless and cold- blooded. Something to be said about commitment to a bit, I guess. _Red dwelled on the thought as he walked back to the Pokemon Center.

**?, Celadon City**

Petrel was dozing on the sofa, a habitual trend of his that seemed to give away that he was a lightweight. But the ones who knew him knew better than to get on his bad side, lest he tear them to pieces. As Petrel was harshly woken up from a good dream involving a hefty sum of money, he groaned in disappointment. He turned to see a Rocket Grunt meekly waiting near the door. He asked, rubbing his eyes, "What's the time?" The Grunt answered. "It's a quarter past noon, sir."

"Good. Now get lost." The Grunt ran away without another word. As Petrel was walking towards the elevator, a Grunt ran into the hallway, sweating profusely. And he was headed straight for Petrel. Petrel was first confused, then annoyed. He held the Grunt by the shoulder and asked, "What? Why ya runnin' round?" The Grunt was speechless but managed to mutter a few words. "Mr. Petrel! There- there was a boy- a boy in Cerulean- he- he- he beat me without batting an eyelid! He's mad strong- and I got a good look at his vest! He only has TWO badges! Just TWO!"

Petrel thought for a moment and suddenly, it struck him. _The kid from Mt. Moon._

The Grunt studied Petrel. "Sir, do you know something? I think- think he's headed for Vermilion. He might be that popular Trainer who's been taking on the Gyms." Petrel turned his face in scorn. "Buncha people do it every year. What makes him special?" The Grunt stood silent. Petrel turned to him and said. "Good job. You've given me some information I can use. Go to Vermilion. Rustle up some of our boys there. We're nabbin' that kid for poking his nose into our hood."

**Silph Headquarters, Saffron City**

The chairman gulped nervously and fidgeted in his chair. The rain outside wasn't pleasant and the intimidating visitors were starting to bother his composure. He knew who they were, but not what they wanted. That is, besides the things they had already taken from the office. Not to mention they had taken the Silph warehouse in Celadon and running it like an underground hideout. Finally, the visitor spoke.

"What will it be, Mr. Chairman? We have paid you quite the hefty sum to kickstart the project, but all you held up on your side was a bunch of boring e- mails that roughly translate to the word 'inefficiency'." The Chairman sighed. "The project is simple, as you said. It's the science that confuses us- a Pokeball that catches any Pokemon without fail! It's too good to be true!"

The visitor smirked. "Yet, here we are. In the last century, people believed catching Pokemon was impossible. They were wrong. They thought Pokemon were an act of nature. They were wrong." He said as the waiter Pokemon, a Porygon2 came in. He recognised the jibe.

Porygon and its evolutionary family were created via software, something people considered prohibitive and against the rules of nature. And so, Porygon was considered a pseudo- Pokemon until researchers proved theologists wrong in a rather heated debate. This led to a rather steep divide in society for a while, leaving Porygon in controversy.

The visitor got up. "We'll be expecting a breakthrough by the end of the month. You have work to do, I suppose." The Chairman got one last look at his visitor, a man in a grey and white suit with shoulder- length blue hair. His features weren't exactly intimidating. It was the red R emblazoned on his vest pocket.

The man took his phone out of his pocket and answered a call. "Archer here."

The voice on the side replied, "Go secure. Encrypt the call."

"Understood, sir." He slid the touchscreen and typed a sequence. The call was secure. He replied, "Line secure." The voice was satisfied. "Good. How is the project over there?" Archer replied without hesitation. " I bloody hate dealing with this guy. He's a little Ralts running blind. I seriously don't know how this guy made a fortune. It's boring."

The voice replied. "Easy. You do your job and you get rewarded. Contact Proton and tell him to locate someone in Lavender. Goes by the name of Fuji."

"Fuji? That's a stupid name." The voice sighed and replied. "Just do your job so I can do mine. Once we have Fuji, proceed with Phase 2."

"Understood."

**Vermilion City One week later…**

Red yawned and tumbled out of the bed. He walked outside his room and got down to the Pokemon Center. The nurse greeted him and asked, "Off to the Gym, huh?" He nodded and smiled. "Yeah. I'm gonna go train for a bit." As he left, she sighed and thought about what would happen when they did battle. By all accounts, she knew Red was no ordinary Trainer, but Surge had been proven to be unbeatable even to the best of the best. She hoped Red would try and win no matter what.

Red stretched his arms and said, "That's gonna be enough, guys." All his Pokemon returned to their Pokeballs, except Pikachu, who was lying down. Red smiled and asked, "You tired?" Pikachu nodded. Red plopped Pikachu onto his shoulder and asked, "Is that better?" Pikachu nodded. Red smiled and headed into the Gym. As he walked towards the Gym, he saw a tree blocking the path. He sent out Charmeleon and said, "Use Cut!" Charmeleon swung its arm and sliced the tree in one hit. Red walked past the tree, being careful not to step on a stray branch. He finally entered the Gym.

The interior was rather lacklustre. It was just a white ceiling with a few touches of yellow. It was rather sober compared to the vibrant colours of the Cerulean Gym. As he stepped forward, two Ace Trainers blocked his path. "Hey, you. Get out. Gym's closed and it's probably past your curfew." Red's eyes narrowed and said, "It's the middle of the day." The Ace Trainer stepped a little too close to Red and said, "You watch that mouth unless you wanna get beat up." Red retorted, "Careful. You might hurt your mouth with those non- threats of yours." A booming voice laughed. "Careful, kid. They mean business. Or do you actually know what you're doing?"

The Ace Trainer pulled out a Pokeball. "Go, Voltorb!" The other one, who was mostly silent, pulled out a Pokeball and said, "Go, Machop!"

Red sent out Squirtle and Charmeleon. Red wordlessly nodded as they turned to look at him. In a flash, Charmeleon began to charge up a beam of purple energy as Squirtle retreated into its shell and used Withdraw.

The Ace Trainer smiled. "Two easy targets! Voltorb, use Shock Wave on Squirtle!" The other one yelled, "Follow up with Karate Chop!" Both Pokemon lunged toward Squirtle. As they drew close, Red yelled, "Use Rapid Spin on Voltorb!" Squirtle began to spin at a high speed and launched itself onto the Voltorb and propelled itself into the air. "Dragon Breath! Now!" Charmeleon rushed at frightening speeds towards the opponents, who were completely unguarded. In one shot, Charmeleon dispatched the Voltorb, but was only able to slightly hurt Machop, due to Voltorb being the primary target. Machop landed a critical hit with Karate Chop, however, causing Charmeleon to fall back. In that moment, Squirtle launched a powerful Water Gun at Machop, making it faint.

The Ace Trainer who had insulted Red gulped. "Tch. Even with my strongest Pokemon… I lost." The booming voice spoke again. "That's because you underestimated your opponent. Whether it's a battle or war, underestimation is fatal. I should know. I learned the hard way."

Red looked over the Ace Trainer's shoulder to get a better view. "You're him, aren't you? Lt. Surge." Red asked him, "So can I battle you?" Surge stepped into view. He was a man of superhuman proportions, a looming figure who was probably twice as tall as Red. He asked from afar, "For the Badge or for freebies?"

Red was confused. "Freebies?" Surge smiled. "Over the last year, I have had 14 Gym Challenges- "

"But I've seen the stats! You've been reported to have had over 30 in the last year!"

Surge motioned for Red to stop. "I wasn't finished. Yes, you are right. I did have 37 battles in the last year. Only the first few were Gym Challengers. Word got out that half the Gym Challengers had been disqualified in my Gym, fewer people started challenging me." Surge stretched his hand out and invited Red onto the stage. Red climbed up the stairs and stood face- to- face against Surge. He took a deep breath and said, "I would like to challenge you..."

Surge inhaled. He was waiting for the answer.

"...for the Thunder Badge." Surge smiled. "Good. Then let's begin."

"Pikachu, go!"

"Voltorb, go!"

Pikachu leapt off Red's shoulder and ran at the Voltorb at full speed, landing a resounding Slam attack on Voltorb. Voltorb looked rather fazed, and Pikachu used the momentum to leap off Voltorb and rush back towards it to land a critical Quick Attack.

Surge boomed. "Our turn! Voltorb, Sonic Boom!"

Voltorb launched sonic discs into the air, surrounding Pikachu and cornering it. Red yelled, "No! Dodge them, Pikachu!" Pikachu leapt into the air and ran towards Voltorb. Surge asked Red, "Do you know what a battle entails?" Red looked at Surge and made a puzzled face. "You have to do whatever it takes to save yourself and defeat an enemy. Voltorb, immobilize it with Shock Wave!" Voltorb launched jolts of electricity at Pikachu. Come what may, Pikachu could not dodge them, and soon ran out of breath. The electricity immobilized Pikachu, trapping it. The sonic discs rammed into Pikachu's stomach, causing a mild dust storm to kick up at the middle of the stage. When the dust cleared, Red gasped.

Pikachu had fainted.

_Hoo boy! Been a while since I've been here. So, then, here's Red's team right now._

_Pikachu Lv.26_

_Spark, Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Slam._

_Charmeleon Lv.28_

_Metal Claw, Fire Fang, Dragon Breath, Slash._

_Ivysaur Lv.27_

_Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Seed Bomb, Take Down._

_Squirtle Lv.25_

_Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Bite, Water Pulse._


	11. Chapter 11: Revelations

**Chapter 11: Revelations**

**Route 6, Vermilion Outskirts **

Blue kept eyeing the Cascade Badge he had gotten a few hours ago. The blue surface shone like glass under the radiant sun. _Just like water, _thought Blue as he got out of the tent. His team had been practicing for a while now while he took a nap.

He looked around for a while. Kadabra and Pigeotto were resting, having a little conversation of sorts, and Raticate was lying down on the moss, dozing softly. Wartortle was the only one still practicing, perfecting its Bubblebeam attack by firing rapid- fire bursts of foam at the sky. On seeing Blue, Wartortle immediately stopped training and looked at him. Blue called out, "Oh, yeah. You can take a break."

Wartortle immediately picked up a nearby rock and placed it on its head. It seemed place its paws near its chest as if carrying a Bag. Blue caught on quick. "Wait. Is- is that Red? Hey, that's a good impression." Wartortle grunted and shook his head. Blue yelled out. "Kadabra, little help, please?"

Kadabra nodded and teleported to where Blue was standing. "I need some translation."

Kadabra turned to Blue. _**He is referring to the rival.**_

Blue nodded. "Uh- huh?"

_**He believes there is no rest until he has succeeded in his quest to become better and is rather disappointed in your seemingly lackadaisical attitude. **_Blue stood silent for a while, and finally asked, "What?"

Kadabra sighed internally. _**He says you're lazy and that he wants to beat up the rival's Charmeleon.**_

Blue was a little offended. "Dude! Come on!"

Explaining further, he said, "Look, between us, I don't hate Red. Well, I used to. It was because of something in our childhood. I… never had parents. Gramps raised me by himself. I guess I just saw Red as my rival. Gramps always treated him like he was special and I… just felt neglected, I think. But I've had a fresh thought."

He added, "I beat Red back on the SS Anne, and it was the first time I had ever beaten him head- on in a battle. I felt… how do I put this? I felt _empty_. All my life, I dreamed of beating Red in a battle. But after I did it, I thought back and I realised I had no _other _motivations. Just beating Red. But now, I have an idea."

_**And that is?**_

"To be a better me, not a better version of Red. I can be better than I was today, and that my motivation is not being better than Red. It's being the best Trainer for my team. So, yes, I'm a little lazy, because I felt like taking it a little easy and because I'm not worried." Kadabra wondered aloud, _**In what, exactly?**_

"In us. We'll pull through. We _will _get stuck. Eventually. But we can pull through because I have faith in you. So, relax, sit back and look at the sky. It's not clear too often." Kadabra and Wartortle smiled as Pidgeotto flew up to Blue, as though comforting him.

Raticate woke up as others laid down on the grass and looked at the sky. _**Did I miss something?**_

Blue felt a vibration in his pocket. It was the new XTransceiver Professor Oak had gotten him from Unova. It was Professor Oak. "Blue? Where are you? Are you alright?"

"Gramps, how are you?"

"I'm fine, but something terrible has happened! You need to head to Bill's house on Route 25!"

"Why, what's the matter?"

**Bill's House, Route 25**

"I want any evidence collected and presented cleanly, in an orderly fashion. Do not tamper with the crime scene. _Proceder avec prudence, s'il vous plait!"_

Blue rushed inside the house, much to the dismay of the International Police inside who were already under pressure looking for evidence. He turned to the man in the trenchcoat, who he assumed was the captain. "What happened to Bill? Is he alright?"

The man in the trenchcoat inhaled sharply. "Please come with me. Outside."

Blue was holding back tears. "He- he was a family friend. We were very close, and Gramps looked after him for a while."

The man, who had identified himself as Looker earlier, asked him, "Did he have any family you know of?"

Blue stuttered, almost about to cry. "No. Just me an- and Gramps."

Looker pursed his lips in silence. "I see."

"H- how did- did he die?"

"Drowned alive. Time of death was 2334 hours. Presumably the work of a strong Water- type Pokemon."

Blue closed his eyes, almost wishing it wasn't true. Looker asked him, "Perhaps you know of something he was working on? Maybe we could get a lead."

Blue shook his head. "I don't remember him saying anything, but I visited a few weeks ago and he had blueprints on his wall, for a machine."

"Blueprints? _Je ne sais pas._ We did not find any blueprints. We checked his consumer history and found he was scheduled to leave on the SS Anne last week for a party."

"No, I was there. Gramps had two tickets; he gave one to each of us. I didn't see him there. Maybe he didn't go?"

"No, his ticket was collected at the dock. So, either he left very soon or…"

"Or someone else went as him. And I think I know who?"

"Perhaps a suspect?" Blue shook his head. "No. He's a lead, though. And I think he's in Vermilion Gym now."

"_Tres bien_! We will head there now, if you will come with us."

**Vermilion Gym, Vermilion City**

Red gasped. Pikachu had fainted.

"Pikachu, no!" Surge had a disappointed look on his face. "Wow, I really thought that was going somewhere. You're not what I expected at first. Maybe you can turn this around."

Red scowled at Surge. "I will, I promise you."

Surge scowled right back, "We'll see about that, doughboy."

Red returned Pikachu to its Pokeball and sent out Ivysaur. "Use Take Down!" Ivysaur growled and raced towards an already weakened Voltorb. "Use Sonic Boom!" Ivysaur took the attack head- on and rammed its body into Voltorb, sending it flying across the stage. Ivysaur jumped up triumphantly. Surge laughed. He picked out his only other Pokeball and asked Red, "_Now _do you want to know why I never lose?"

Red gulped. Surge flung his Pokeball high up. Out came a Raichu, but it didn't look the same for some reason.

"Hey, what's that? That's not a Raichu!"

"Oh, it is! Just not the one you see around here! This lad here is from Alola, a pure regional variant. I'll even tell you about it. Electric/Psychic type and quite the nifty surfer. On that note, use Psychic!" Raichu immediately launched psychic energy from within, attacking Ivysaur on all sides, and flinging it away like a Poke Doll.

Ivysaur barely managed to get up but looked as defiant as always. It growled lowly and menacingly and rushed at Raichu, inconsiderate of Red's commands and tried to launch a Seed Bomb attack on it. Raichu merely stood there and launched another Psychic attack, completely knocking out Ivysaur. Red was shaken. "W- What?"

Surge sighed. "You kids. You think battles are about playing _fair_? If you don't fight back against me here, you'll never be able to face the Gym Leaders after me! This is battle! You DO NOT BACK OUT!"

Red finally spoke back. "But- but you're too strong…."

"No, I'm not. You're just weak."

"My Pokemon aren't we- "

Surge boomed in frustration. "No, you dimwit! I've been playing you ever since you stepped in here! I played into your confidence by making you battle those Trainers. I played into your fear and doubt using lies! That's all it's been! MANIPULATION! You can't trust me just because I'm a Gym Leader, I'm your opponent, not your dad! You can't survive a minute out there blindly walking around, if your first instinct is to applaud someone's talents! Survive using your strengths! Don't idolize, be the idol!"

Red was reeling. Every single line Surge said before now sounded deceptive in his head.

_You wanna challenge me for the Badge, or for freebies?_

_These trainers mean business, kid._

_Undersestimation is fatal. I should know._

_I learned the hard way._

The last line echoed in Red's mind as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was sure.

"Fine then. Get ready."

Surge scoffed. "What for?"

Red spoke back, not a hint of hesitation in his voice. "Show's about to start."

"Charmeleon, I choose you!"

Surge cringed so hard at the cheesy line, but hid it really well. _Headstrong kid. Let's see if he can back that up._

Charmeleon emerged from its Pokeball and saw Ivysaur being returned. It turned to face Red, turned to Raichu, then back at Red and nodded. Red nodded back.

Charmeleon growled menacingly and bared its claws at Raichu, who stood a little up in the air, rather unfazed. "Use Slash!" Charmeleon leapt into the air and swooped down towards Raichu, who craned forward and glided out of the way of the attack. Charmeleon grunted and tried again, this time aiming for the tail, but in vain. Raichu floated even higher, as though taunting Charmeleon. Red nodded at Charmeleon, who turned back and nodded in understanding. Charmeleon again leapt up and raised its arm for a Slash attack, and just as Raichu began to glide down, Red yelled, "Now!"

Charmeleon tucked itself into a ball and rolled downwards faster than Raichu could land. It used its legs to absorb the impact and leapt up vertically as Raichu was gliding downwards and landed a devastating Slash that sent Raichu flying at Surge's feet. Surge flinched and patted Raichu on the shoulder. Raichu nodded and got up. Raichu then growled and sent sparks of lightning flying all over the stage. "Dodge them!" Charmeleon leapt out of the way and raced towards Raichu while trying to avoid the lightning bolts all at once. As it leapt towards Raichu, a stray lightning bolt grazed Charmeleon on the leg, paralyzing it. Charmeleon immediately fell on the ground, immobile. Red's hopes sunk as soon as they had risen. Charmeleon was an easy target, and Squirtle would surely get knocked out by Raichu. Red closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. He had to make a choice. "Charmeleon, return!" He sent out Squirtle, almost about to hold back and forfeit.

He tried to hold the Pokeball harder to prevent throwing it. He couldn't.

He tried to stop his mouth moving to not say anything. He couldn't.

He wanted to take a deep breath and stop the battle for his team's sake. He wanted to ensure they would be okay. He wanted to do _something_.

He couldn't.

"Squirtle, go!" Squirtle spun around, ready for battle. Raichu smiled. _Easy pickings_. Raichu lunged at Squirtle and sent jolts of electricity at Squirtle, sending it careening over the stage and plummeting into the wall. Red was about to call it quits, when-

Squirtle stood up. It ran back to the stage and stood wordlessly. Raichu fired off another Thunderbolt. Squirtle just stood there.

Raichu fired off another Thunderbolt. Nothing happened. Another one. Nothing still. And then- Squirtle's eyes turned blue. Then the blue hue emanated from within, making it glow an iridescent blue hue. Red had seen it twice before. He knew. And his opponent did, too.

Red smiled apologetically. "Underestimation can be fatal. Looks like I underestimated you…"

The light faded. A solitary figure stood in Squirtle's place.

"… Wartortle."

Wartortle roared and fired off a Water Pulse that dazed Raichu, confusing it. Raichu spun around in a daze as Wartortle raced towards the dizzy Raichu and opened wide for a Bite attack, cleanly knocking Raichu out.

Wartortle had won.

The Ace Trainer was awestruck. "He won. He actually _won_!"

Surge was smiling. "You learned a lesson and made a choice. Good. You learned something very important. I commend you for that." Wartortle walked up to Surge and stretched its hand out. Surge smiled and handed the Thunder Badge to a beaming Wartortle who jumped giddily around Red's legs as he placed the Thunder Badge his Badge Case. He picked Wartortle up and made to exit the Gym.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Red was waiting for his Pokémon to be healed up when a full squad of International Police burst in, Blue in tow. Looker stared at Red, and Red stared back. "Didn't I see you somewhere before?"

Looker exhaled. "_C'est une grande probleme_!_ Aie avec moi_!"

_Hi there! Welcome back (Crap, I'm running out of things to say…)! Here's the- uh, the, thing I waste time on every Chapter…_

_Pikachu Lv.26_

_Spark, Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Slam._

_Ivysaur Lv. 28_

_Leech Seed, Seed Bomb, Razor Leaf, Take Down._

_Charmeleon Lv. 28_

_Slash, Dragon Breath, Cut, Fire Fang._

_Wartortle Lv.27_

_Water Pulse, Rapid Spin, Bite, Water Gun._

_And some translations for French below:_

_Proceder avec prudence- Proceed with caution._

_Je ne sais pas- I don't know._

_Tres bien- Very good!_

_C'est une grande probleme- It's a big problem._

_Aie avec moi- Come with me!_

_S'il vous/te plait- Please._


	12. Chapter 12: Mew, the Progenitor

**Chapter 12: Mew, the Progenitor **

_Thanks for the approval on Chapters 10 and 11! It feels nice to know it wasn't too rushed like Chapter 9. The high amount of views made my day. So, thank you._

**Vermilion City**

"And then what happened?"

"He went inside the machine. He asked me to press a button, and he was back to normal when he stepped outside."

Looker nodded. "So, the machine- what did it look like?"

"There were two chambers on the left and right, which were connected through a tubeline- looking thing. Apparently, a human and a Pokémon are placed in each chamber and they are able to fuse their bodies and minds."

"Fusion? That is rather interesting that you say that." Red was puzzled. "Say _what_?" Looker yawned. "Well, around 2 years ago, I was on a case in the Unova region. A cult named Team Plasma was trying to revive a legendary Pokémon in order to force everyone else to release their Pokémon. Some fanatic belief about Pokémon being abused by humans and such…"

"What happened?" Looker smiled. "They failed. They were stopped by a person, Hilbert? Hil- Hilda? I seem to have forgotten." Red asked, "What does this have to do with what I said?"

"Well, as it happens, they resurfaced just over a month ago. This time however, they planned on freezing the entire populace of a city in Unova. Granted, they were stopped again. But their secret weapon was an item that could cause certain Pokémon to fuse together."

Red's head perked up. "Huh. That _is _interesting. Does that mean that whoever k… did that to Bill had something to do with that item Team Plasma used?"

Looker nodded. "Possibly, but it could be a coincidence. I intend to find whoever committed such a filthy cr-"

Blue strolled into the Pokémon Center, grinning from ear to ear. Red commented snarkily, "Doesn't someone look pleasant?"

Blue smiled back wryly. "Doesn't someone have a Bag compartment for cheesy one- liners?"

Looker groaned. "Well- how did it go?" Blue was beaming. "Oh, it was a little _too _one- sided." Looker squinted a little. "Okay, fine, it was close. But I won!"

Looker got up. "Not that I don't enjoy a little banter, but I must get going. I have a source in Lavender Town who I intend to speak to as soon as possible."

Red asked, "Hey, Looker, we're headed to Celadon for the next Gym battle, so I guess we can go together." Looker seemed to think for a while and nodded. "Okay, but please don't stop for unnecessary things. We're on a schedule."

**Pokémon Tower, Lavender Town 3 days ago…**

The Cubone gripped its mother's limp, lifeless body and bawled uncontrollably. It tried to tug its mother to one of those red buildings that people took their Pokémon to. Try as hard as it could, it couldn't muster the strength needed to pull its mother even an inch. When it realised its efforts were futile, it knelt next to its parent's corpse and cried for help. Tears began to cloud its eyes as it saw a solitary figure rushing towards them.

Later that night, the Nurse stepped out of the Emergency Room and called out, "Mr. Fuji, sir? A minute, please." The old man, who was pacing around the room, perked up and rushed to counter. "Is she alright? Will she make it?"

The nurse nodded her head sideways. Fuji inhaled sharply, "I see. I'll make arrangements for the burial. Thank you for trying your best." He turned to face the little Cubone intently staring at him. He knelt down and said, "I'm sorry, little guy, but your mother… we were too late. She's…" Fuji stopped short of crying as the Cubone kept staring at him with an unwavering expression. He patted it on the head and said, "Don't you worry. I promise I'll take care of you. I promise." He reached to pat it on the shoulder when he felt a gash on its shoulder. The Cubone flinched when he touched the gash. He turned to look at it and it was obvious what had happened.

_These are scars… from whips. This is not a tamer's work. This is… this is-_

Fuji was stopped short as his nose smelt the toxic fumes. He struggled to breathe. He turned to the nurse but found her unconscious already. He motioned for the door and screamed with what energy he had left, "Run, Cubone! Run!" Cubone seemed to understand and ran outside. Fuji gasped for air, but it was too late.

**Pokémon Tower Present Day**

Fuji was sharply woken up by a splash of water. His eyes adjusted to the dimness as he looked around him. A voice from the dark corner of the room startled him.

"Hello, Doctor. Been a while." Fuji coughed, the poisonous gas still afflicting him a little. "Who are you? W- Where am I? Is- is this the Pokémon Tower?"

The voice answered back. "One by one, Doctor. We _will_ answer the questions. For our compliance, we expect yours as well." Fuji frowned. "I'm tied up here. I have no other options." The voice chuckled. "I know. I was making sure you saw the rationality of the situation. Even if you didn't, we have other methods to make you comply." Fuji sighed. "I assume you won't let me go until you get what you want?" The voice responded. "No, of course not! You'd rat us out. But we'll keep you safe and sound, okay?" Fuji's temper was boiling by now. "Just who the hell are you?" Fuji could barely make out a pair of eyes getting closer which morphed into a figure. "Of course. My name is Proton. I'm part of a genetics company called Rocket Inc. I assume you've heard of us."

Fuji closed his eyes. "Ah, yes. The old codeword. I assume Archer was too lazy to change the pseudonym after I left." The figure smiled. "You assume right, Doctor." Fuji craned his neck and spat in Proton's face. Proton simply wiped it off and said, "I'll let that slide, Doctor. If it wasn't for protocol, I'd have killed you 3 days ago for what you did to us." Fuji smiled. "And I enjoyed _every _second of it." Proton shook with rage.

**Rock Tunnel Outskirts**

Red yawned as he lay on the grass. Pikachu leapt in circles around him, increasing its speed every time, like a little game. Blue was running back towards him, while Looker was flipping through what seemed to be a diary. Blue panted as he reached them. Looker turned to face Blue. "Well?" Blue exhaled and said, "No one there. I asked everyone around the place. No one knows where he is." Looker smiled. "I was correct." Pikachu ran to Looker and sniffed the diary he was clutching. Looker continued, saying, "The person I was supposed to meet was Dr. Fuji. He is world- renowned for his breakthroughs in genetics, mainly in aiding a corporation known as Rocket Inc. in the discovery of the fossil Pokémon called Aerodactyl. He suddenly retired and just disappeared. People were looking for him for a while, but he turned up in Lavender a few weeks ago. I needed to talk to him because he had vital information on Team Rocket- a criminal gang that spawned from the depths of Rocket Inc. I believe their leader is named Archer." Red's ears perked up when he heard the name. "Team Rocket? I've seen those people before! I saw them in Mount Moon once. They were after a Fossil, I think. A guy even tried to bribe me by giving me one!" Blue laughed. "And it didn't work?"

Looker motioned for Blue to stay silent. "Go on." Red continued. "A Team Rocket member also stole a TM from Cerulean and almost got away with it?" Looker smiled. "Did an Officer stop him?" Red frowned. "No, I did." Looker's smile faded almost instantly.

Inside Rock Tunnel, a safe distance away from the mouth of the cave, a squad of Team Rocket grunts set up a tent and opened communications. "Receiving ping from Lavender." The one Grunt looked over at the party outside who were talking. Another Grunt walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, is that them? Are you sure?" The other Grunt almost screamed. "Hey, shut it! You scared the crap out of me!" The Grunt repeated, "But is that-"The Grunt shooed him off, saying, "Yes. Yes, it is. Now please go, I'm seeing whether they come back inside." A voice emerged from the tent. "Communications are ready!" The Grunts all huddled together in front of a screen. A face emerged on the screen. The Grunt who had been guarding the mouth of the cave, started to speak. "This is Squad 2 reporting, Admin! We tracked the group down and we are go for ambush." The voice replied, "I am often labelled as the cruellest weapon of Team Rocket. That nosey detective will pay for butting into our business." The Grunts all nodded. One of them asked, "But, Mr. Proton, sir, what about those kids with him?" Proton affirmed. "Let those kids go. They're harmless. Stick to the plan and don't improvise." The Grunt elaborated. "No, sir. We followed them for over a week now! They both have 3 Gym Badges!" Proton scoffed. "_Three_? That's extremely underwhelming, but there's two of them, so there's a slight chance you people would mess up, so I suggest you bring all three to me. I'll deal with them from there. Understood?" The Grunts nodded in unison. "Yes, sir!"

Fuji coughed intermittently as he asked, "So you're going to bully a few kids now. Have you no shame?" Proton answered almost instantly, "No, not really." Fuji groaned in desperation. _If those kids get caught, they'll be killed._ The idea flashed across his mind- it was insane- but maybe, just insane enough to work. "If I tell you where my research data is, will you let those kids go?" Proton turned around. _Wow, he took the bait fast._ He retained his composure and nodded. "Certainly, Doctor. Our priority is you. Not anyone else." Fuji smiled. _Thank Arceus._ Proton sat down next to Fuji and motioned for a Grunt next to him to start recording. Proton added, "No tricks, Doctor." Fuji nodded. "No tricks."

Proton started. "Now then. Where is the hard drive?" Fuji motioned to his vest pocket. "I must say that was anticlimactic. Well, at least we didn't search your house for it." Fuji then added, "This is Professor Fuji. This hard drive contains highly classified information regarding the ancient Mythical Pokémon called Mew. We first discovered traces pertaining to Mew in Alola's Lush Jungle a few months ago. It was a fossil piece of a long-gone Mew. Our next step was recreating it."

Proton smiled. "Go on."

"Our first few attempts were rather unsuccessful. The clone turned out to be a pink blob with dot- shaped eyes and a mouth. It had a body structure resembling the prokaryotic microorganism called _Amoeba_. We called it 'Ditto'."

**?, Celadon City**

Archer straightened himself as Fuji got to the next part. "Okay. Here we go."

"We decided this was getting nowhere, so we decided to look for other fossil pieces of Mew. In the process, we made a rather tenuous alliance with a cult in Unova who called themselves Team Plasma, who, in return for finding and resurrecting a certain Kabutops species, offered to help us find traces of Mew. It was here that I met Dr. Colress- a Silph Co. scientist who had been working on Pokémon fusion for a while now. He was the inventor of the elusive DNA Splicers. Colress was recruited by Team Plasma and together, we sought out various fossils from over the world. Finally, we found a sample large enough to appease Team Plasma in Mount Moon a month ago. Team Plasma then gave us the resources with which I then concocted the formula for making the clone, which is in the hard drive now. It was then that I found the real Team Rocket within Rocket Inc. I was appalled at their actions and decided to leave with my research."

Archer breathed. "Terminate him." Proton nodded, "Affirmative." Fuji understood. "I understand that this is where I die." Proton nodded wordlessly. "So, if I die, you go after Blaine instead." Proton smiled. He flung out a Pokeball. Out appeared a Crobat, who steadied its aim right at Fuji's chest.

"Use Steel Wing."

Fuji closed his eyes for the impact. He didn't want to see it.

Archer turned away. When it was done, Proton called him. "It's done. We'll get rid of the body."

Archer nodded wordlessly.

**Rock Tunnel Outskirts**

Looker asked loudly, "Just the five of you?" The Grunts remained motionless. He sent out a Pokeball and Toxicroak appeared. Red and Blue steadied themselves and Pikachu growled at the Grunt. Looker called out, "No need. I have this under control."

"Do you now?" One of the Grunts laughed.

Toxicroak lunged towards the Grunt that dared to laugh, smacking him with its fist and sending him crashing. The other Grunt sent out her Zubat, only for Toxicroak to send it flying with a Sucker Punch to its face. The Grunt was then punched in the face and sent crashing. The other three ran away before Looker could say anything. Looker yelled after them, "I was just going to apologise!"

Red laughed and said, "You _can _still apologise to these guys." Looker laughed. "Oh, no, no. I was merely joking. These peasants aren't worth _my _time. Right, Toxicroak?" Toxicroak nodded in agreement immediately.

Blue asked Looker, "You think they know? About Fuji, I mean."

"Of course they know. These aren't ordinary people. They amassed a fortune in half a decade and they're a step ahead of us. Always." Red picked up Pikachu and asked while Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder, "Let's go, then." Looker nodded in disagreement. "_Je suis desole_. I cannot come with you. My superiors have asked me to visit Kalos for a very important case. I have a feeling Team Rocket pulled some strings to get me off the hook. Worry not! I'll return here as soon as I can!"

Red and Blue nodded and left for Lavender Town.

**Pokémon Tower, Lavender Town The next day…**

"You sure you'll be okay?"

Blue scoffed. "I'll be fine, Gramps." Red scowled at him. "I'm not concerned for you, you Volkner rip- off. I just don't want Looker to be." Blue sighed. "So you'll battle Erika in Celadon and head back?" Red nodded.

Later that night, Blue stood watch at the window of the motel that gave him a clear view of the Pokémon Tower. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was inside and using it, possibly as a hideout. _It makes sense. No one goes there and no one wants to explore it as it is. It's the perfect spot_ _to hide in._

Blue took his Pokeballs and left silently. As he neared the Tower, he his beside the entrance and took a quick look. He couldn't make it out clearly, but he could see two people carrying another person and two others digging a hole._ Oh, no. They're burying him in the middle of the night. I better go._

As he turned, he saw a person standing right behind him. Blue sighed as the person dragged him by his shirt collar and shoved him inside. Blue smiled and sent out his Raticate, who bared its fangs at the Grunt, making him back up.

Out of nowhere, an airborne figure swooped down and sliced Raticate through the torso. All the Grunts turned to see what happened. Raticate's lifeless body crumpled to the floor, blood leaking out of its insides. It was gruesome.

"Raticate! NO!" Blue was shocked. He was paralyzed. He fell to the floor and cried silent tears for his fallen partner. As the Grunt reached to pick him up, Blue dragged his leg and made him fall. In that instant, Blue ran out of the Tower, tears in his eyes.

Proton, who was standing at the staircase, smiled wordlessly.

_Well, that was a long one! And a messed- up one… _

_Red's team is the same from before. Since he was with Looker, a Police Officer who was on a mission, Red probably wouldn't have battled anyone in Rock Tunnel._

_Here are some translations for French (I'm never pulling this BS again):_

_Je suis desole- I am sorry._


	13. Chapter 13: The Girl Under the Tree

**Chapter 13: The Girl Under the Tree **

_So, there was a change of plans. Not too drastic, thankfully- just removing the newest chapter and grinding myself out writing this! It's a step back and a riveting conversation with a friend helped me decide to do a fresh start- first with the chapter and the story as a whole. So, then- here's the revised Chapter 13... _

Red yawned. The trek through the Underground Path had been exhausting and the immediate departure to Celadon wasn't peachy as well. He'd been on the road for weeks now and it was starting to show. He didn't want to admit it yet, but he was starting to miss Pallet Town- his comfy bed seemed far better than his rough sleeping bag. He immediately shook the thoughts aside. _No. Not now. My team has carried me so far. I'm not giving up on them now- not now. _

He took a second to look at his team- Pikachu, Charmeleon, Ivysaur and Wartortle. Pikachu was stuck the same way for a while until he could get his hands on a Thunder Stone- and that was still a gamble because Pikachu seemed fine being unevolved for now. Charmeleon was a little hard to tell- in his few conversations with Professor Oak since they had reached Lavender Town, the Professor had advised time and again to keep an eye out for his team. The words echoed in his mind anew.

"_Remember, Red- this is not a game. This is real life. Real life is messy and it has consequences. I certainly don't think you're unprepared, because I'm confident that Charmeleon would just about give his life for you. And all your other Pokemon as well. But remember, Red- keep an eye out for them. Since all of the Pokemon you have are peaking now- they've just about reached the maximum limit they can achieve as second stage Pokemon. Any farther and they're wasting time rather than evolving- though I doubt they won't evolve before long. Anyway, Red- look for signs of uneasiness amongst the three- anger, irritation, sudden snaps and tantrums are signs that the Pokemon is getting ready to evolve. Around the level your team is, I'd normally advise you to keep them from a battle, but I doubt you'd do that." _

_Red smiled sheepishly. "Wow, you know me inside out, Professor." The old man smiled wanly, "Red, I just about raised you for 11 years. I raised my team members lower than that and you still give me migraines. Look- it's no easy feat, managing three second- stagers at the cusp of evolving. They'll get somewhat abrasive around one another- particularly Charmeleon. Keep an eye out for him- they tend to get very aggressive around these times- I should know. I raised one." As if on cue, Red heard a deafening roar echo through the Lab. "And there's your second opinion." _

"_What about the others?" Oak scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, I wouldn't worry about Ivysaur- they're very calm. Unless something abnormal happens, I highly doubt they'll be too brash around you. Ivysaur is fine. As for Wartortle, I can't be too sure- maybe you could ask someone who has experience with Water- type Pokemon? _

"_You mean, like, Misty?" Oak smiled. "Yes, perhaps. I'll try to ask her if she could spare some time. But I might have had someone else in mind." Red winced a little. "Is it you?" Oak chuckled rather loudly, startling the Pidgey who landed on his head. "No, it's not me. I had a friend in mind- his name is Juan. He's from Hoenn, and he's virtually the go- to when it comes to Water- types. Unfortunately, when I last checked in with him, he'd retired- but his protégé- a young man by the name of Wallace, had to take over as Champion for a little while, until the original Champion returned. So, Juan is currently managing the Hoenn Water- type Gym, and if I'm right about Hoenn and water, he's got his hands full, so, no." Red waited till the old man was done- he liked to listen to him. It was interesting and learned new stuff. "So, then, you'll call Misty." Oak smiled. "She's a Gym Leader, Red! She's not nearly as free as you'd imagine. I'll still ask her to try and visit." _

As he sat down on the grassy knoll on the outskirts of Celadon, he reminisced about his adventures so far- his team had come very far, truly. But nothing made them special- mind you, the bond between them was unshakeable, no doubt, but it had just been rinsing and repeating the same thing for a while now- run around, fight Gyms, get into a game of inches and outplay the opponent at the last second. He felt he was doing something wrong. No, he _knew_ he was doing something wrong. This always seemed like a game to him. But, everything seemed fine. His team got into a tickle fight, completely surrounding Charmeleon helplessly succumbed to Pikachu and Wartortle's ticklish paws. Ivysaur looked interested but changed its mind decisively after taking a single look at Charmeleon's tail flame. Red motioned to Ivysaur. The quadruped walked up to him, almost equalling him in size now (at least, when he was sitting). It happily plopped itself onto Red's lap as he asked, Professor Oak's words echoed in his mind-

"How are you feeling, buddo?" Ivysaur smiled and nodded. Red understood- it was doing A- OK. "You wanna play with me?" Ivysaur nodded and Red pulled out his XTransceiver from his pocket. "Lemme turn this thing on, 'kay?" Ivysaur nodded curiously and turned to face the strange contraption when it heard a sound. _Footsteps. _

He saw a random Trainer running like it was the end of the world. He screamed as he ran, "BEEDRILL SWARM! RUN!"

"Oh, for the love of-" The distinct buzzing sound that Beedrill was famous for now pierced thorugh the silent air in the forest. Charmeleon immediately growled when he heard the sound. Ivysaur, on instinct, hid behind Red. Pikachu and Wartortle assumed a ready stance. They're raring to go. Nice. He remembered all too well his near death at the hands of a swarm of Beedrill in Viridian Forest. Charmeleon did, too. The duo smiled at each other. Red recalled Ivysaur and made sure he was safe. If anything happened, he wanted someone to be a backup member. "Alright, go!" Wartortle immediately retreated into its shell and Pikachu jumped on top of it. "Use Thunderbolt! Rapid Spin and dispel it off of you!" The duo immediately did as instructed and Pikachu fired huge jolts of electricity as Wartortle spun faster and deeper into the ground, thereby neutralizing the electric effects on its body. Pikachu continued to fire huge jolts of electricity at the opposing swarm. The terrified Beedrill began to attack in a fury. Charmeleon, however, was not having any of that. In a flash, he saw fit to incinerate the entire swarm, and incinerate he did- with Fire Fang. The combined assault of Red's team had caused the swarm to flee as quickly as possible. Red smiled. His team had managed to destroy an entire swarm of wild Pokemon. But against a trained opponent...

Such thoughts mulled over Red as he handed his Pokemon over to be healed. The Nurse asked, "Rough night?" Red yawned again. "More or less." The Nurse sked again, "I heard people running amok. Apparently, a Beedrill swarm attacked?" Red smiled, full of pride for his team. "They were a cakewalk! My team chased them away and sent 'em packing!" The Nurse's eyes became stern. "Mm- hmm." She turned to face Red. "So, I assume your team is pretty close to evolving. Most of them, at least." Red nodded proudly. She said in a soft tone, but Red knew the power behind those lines. "To be clear, you endangered your Pokemon to try and fight off an already provoked and dangerous swarm of Beedrill. Am I right?" Red nodded, albeit in silence this time. The Nurse froze. "That's extremely foolhardy at your stage. Your Pokemon, simply put, are close to evolving- if something had happened to one of them- if it had, they would have trouble with their bodies. They'd have to undergo rehab- and there's no guarantee they'll make it. You survived a very close call and if I hear from one of my sisters that this repeated- well, suffice to say you wouldn't enter this Center's doorstep. Ever." Red nodded, silently. He knew now that he made a poor choice. The Nurse recoiled. Had she been too harsh? Red smiled. "You're right. I made a bad move. Good thing I'm lucky, huh?" He laughed to diffuse the tension, but was relieved when the Nurse smiled. "Good. You learnt your lesson, and honestly, that's a big step- knowing when you're wrong." She handed him the Pokeballs and said, "They'd give their lives for a person like you. Just don't make them do it too often." He bowed his head in respect, and exited.

As he exited, he allowed the fresh air to enter his body, and that was when it clicked- he was in _Celadon_. He turned around with a smile and allowed the full beauty of the city to sink into his eyes. Unlike most other cities in Kanto, Celadon was full of colour, vigour and frolicking. Most of the cities had been rather restrained in terms of colour- Pewter was mostly a few sober shades of grey, Viridian was mostly browns and yellows, Cerulean was a rather nice blue, and Vermilion- Vermilion was _nasty_. Red reminisced on the thought. _Wait, where did that co-_

"Hey, are you tha-" He turned to face who it was that called him, when he bumped into a figure. The impact made Red fall back on the ground. Pikachu, who was on his shoulder, leapt off gracefully and landed. Red, however- not so much. As he was rubbing the back of his head, he yelled, "Hey, watch where you're going!" A hand stretched out in front. He grabbed it and got up. As he saw who it was, he was dumbstruck- it was the Gym Leader. "Ms. Erik- Erika! Oh, I'm sorry for bumping into you!" Erika raised an eyebrow. "It's not _that _big of a deal. Besides, I was the one who bumped into you." She turned around to see Pikachu smiling at Erika. She smiled back. Pikachu leapt into her arms. Red bit his tongue and waited for the 'zap'. He closed his eyes.

It never came. Red opened his eyes and was shocked. Pikachu was being _cradled_. Erika smiled and said, "He's adorable! Aren't you, Pikachu?" Pikachu nearly squealed like a baby, clearly liking Erika's taste in Pokemon. "Uh, I should take him back before he does something." Erika nodded. "Of course! Here you go." Pikachu sighed as he went back to Red. Erika asked him, "Are you a Trainer?" He nodded with a smile. "Oh, yeah! I'm actually headed for your Gym next..." He saw Erika's eyes widen in alarm for a moment. "... If, uh, you have... the time?" She sighed with a resigned face. _Well, shit. There goes my nap._ She turned to Red and left. "I look forward to the challenge, Trainer!" He nodded and Pikachu waved at her.

He let his mind rest for the challenge ahead. He had to _win_. But he had to do it right. He made for the Department Store when his XTransceiver rang. It was Blue.

"_Red, there's a problem._"

"What? What happened? Did you find them?" Blue nodded as he held back the stream of tears.

"_I found them in the Tower. They- they killed Raticate..."_

Red's eyes widened. He had seen Blue's Raticate- it was no joking matter. That thing could chew through his team if he let it run free. "I'm so- so sorry to hear that, Blue. When did he... you know..." Blue understood.

"_Around midnight. I managed to outrun that- thing they had. I think it was a Crobat- it was too dark to see... I feel guilty, Red. My entire team does._"

Red breathed. "I'll come back there. We'll see what we can do-" Blue hissed.

"_No, you retard! The place is crawling with Rockets! I could maybe fly using Pidgeotto- I have the HM, but they can easily spot me. I should lay low inside here for a while."_

Red groaned. "Okay. Should we tell Professor Oak?"

"_Are you crazy? He'd never believe us! A random bunch of hoodlums carrying a Crobat? I know him, Red- he wouldn't. Please don't tell him..."_

"I understand. I'll see how I can help." "_Thanks, Red."_

"Anything for a friend." Blue smiled at that and hung up.

**Celadon Outskirts A few hours later...**

Red took a deep breath and took another gulp of water. He was staring at the sunset. It fascinated him, how the colours of the reddening sun would clash but still merge onto the great sea ahead. He could barely make out Cinnabar Island at the horizon. To the west were the fabled Seafoam Islands, the last known sighting place of the legendary Ice Pokemon Articuno.

_Some day, they'll be mine. And we'll defeat everyone together._

He turned to his team. They were training as hard as they could be- even the newly- evolved Wartortle, who Red didn't want to use in this Gym. Wartortle could manage himself, no doubt- but the risk was too high for a non- evolved Water type. All of a sudden, Charmeleon, in a fit, used a super- powered Slash to cut a tree in half. Red ran towards him. _What the heck was that?_

Charmeleon panted for a full minute before he turned to Red and smiled. Red was relieved as a thought flashed across him. _Look for signs- rage, aggression, abrasiveness- especially Charmeleon_. Red looked at the lizard as the team erupted in laughter at Pikachu's impressions of the various Pokemon on their journey thus far. Red joined in the laughter. _Laughter's always a good thing._

_...Right?_

**The next day...**

Red woke up with a smile on his face. _Badge number four, here I come._

The team was very pumped up as they clambered down. Red returned them into their Pokeballs and gave them to the Nurse. As he turned around, he saw Misty standing there, smiling at him.

"I was starting to think you weren't gonna wake up." Red smiled. "Nice to see you too, Misty." She nodded in mock apology.

"So, then- it's about Wartortle. Normally, I wouldn't have given a crap- but this is special." "How so?" Misty glared at him in a way that said, _**As if you don't know.**_ "Well, I got a call from Professor Oak. And besides, you and his grandson are the most intriguing competitors we've had in a while- straight from the Corral, if you will. So, I'll take this as an opportunity to understand your team better, if and when a rematch happens." Red smiled as the Nurse handed him a tray with his Pokeballs in it. He sent out his team as Misty picked up her own Pokeball and sent out a literal _titan_ of a Blastoise, over six feet tall. Red could only stare in awe as the tortoise turned its head to Misty and asked for a tummy rub, to which Misty said, "Not now, Shelly! After. At home. Okay?" The Blastoise nodded in approval as it laid its eyes on Red's Charmeleon, who was barely holding back from throwing down with the Water- type. Blastoise sneered and its eyes fell on Wartortle. The smaller tortoise glared at Blastoise, but fell silent once Blastoise so much as stepped forward. "Easy, guys. She's here to help us. And so is Blastoise." Misty turned to look at Wartortle and said, "Hmm... she's alright. I'd say she's, er, still _getting_ there. She only evolved over a week ago, right?" Red nodded. "She's still got a few more months- around two and a half to three, I'd say." Misty turned to the others. "I've not been around as many Charmeleon except when I go to Cinnabar, so- don't trust me on this one... I'd say he's almost there. His scales are orange-ish red, and he was a Charmeleon before we fought, so..." Charmeleon smiled at Misty, and she patted him on the head, saying, "Careful with Blastoise. She's a little possessive of me." Charmeleon almost gulped at the behemoth of a Blastoise glaring at him. _Almost_.

She turned to Ivysaur and said, "He's very close to it. I'd say within a week. You've raised them all really well." Pikachu silently waited for Misty to pick him up, but she turned around to Red. With a heartbroken face, he sat down next to Ivysaur. She turned to Red, "That's about it, I'd say. Anyways, I've got some shopping to do at the Department Store."

"You mind if I come with? I could use a guide, if you're okay with it."

"If you don't trip over your shoes on the way, then... yes."

As they were going towards the top floors, Red thought of his team and the potential they could have when they evolved- and then a thought entered his mind.

The thought of Misty's Blastoise kept bugging him the entire time. He finally asked her, "Were you not using your team against me?" Misty smiled. "You caught on quick. Well, yes... _and_ no."

"See, it works like this: us Gym Leaders usually train in a category- type, weather, and so on. I replaced my mother as the new Gym Leader. Obviously, you can't be a League trainer without being at least close to the Elite Four. So the League rules mandated that we use teams according to the number of Badges a challenger has. So, I used a team accordingly.

_So everyone was going easy on me._ Red grimaced at the thought. It was like a sinking feeling- like his victories didn't matter.

Misty must have caught on, because she said, "Cheer up, it happens to everyone! Hey- over here." Red looked at her with a dejected face. "It's fine. Tell you what- we'll have a rematch." "Now?"

"_Yes, now. In the middle of the Store. _No, silly. When you get all 8 Gym Badges, come on back to the Cerulean Gym- I'll show you what I'm really capable of." Red smiled. "You're on."

After a shopping spree and saying goodbye to Misty, Red headed towards the Cerulean Gym, a glint in his eye. The afternoon sun didn't stop him. _Nothing will_.

As he entered the Gym, the attendant looked at him. "Here for a battle?" Red nodded. "Name?" He smiled. "Red."

"Last name?" Red smiled, somewhat apologetically. "None."

The attendant immediately apologized. "Oh- I'm sorry. I wasn't told..."

Red replied, "It's fine. Not your fault."

Honestly, it wasn't. He never saw them. They never saw him either. He never knew them- and, honestly, he had _no_ intention of starting now.

The interior was like a greenhouse, which made sense- it was good for plants and Grass- types, like the ones Erika used. Red ran the strategy in his mind once more. _Ivysaur to throw her off guard and Charmeleon to finish the rest. _He doubted Charmeleon could outmaneuver Erika's Pokemon, but he had hope.

He walked inside and saw Erika sitting under a tree- it was extremely huge. He could see a Gloom staring at him. The Pokemon immediately jumped down and released a gas into the air, making Erika wake up immediately. "Oh, Gloom, you disgusting little SHI-" She turned to see a mortified Red wave at her. _Crap._

She yawned and said, "Finally came, huh?" He nodded. "No point in waiting any longer." She smiled. _Oh, I am so going to enjoy destroying this one._

"Alright, then! Go, Tangela!"

"Go, Ivysaur!"

Red pulled out his Pokedex. It scanned Tangela and said, _Tangela. The Vine Pokemon. Height: 1.0 m, Weight: 35.0 kg. _

"Oh, God, not this again." He immediately stuffed it inside his Bag. Ivysaur leered at the the cluster of vines, who trilled in response.

"Use Razor Leaf! Keep it away!" Tangela immediately shot out a cluster of sharp leaves that pierced through Ivysaur, but didn't really do much to it. Red smiled. "Take Down! Go through it!" Ivysaur growled and ran towards the unguarded Tangela, who suffered the full brunt of Ivysaur's bulk and fell flat. Ivysaur immediately winced from the recoil. Erika saw her window. "Use Stun Spore!" "Evade it, Ivysaur!" Ivysaur immediately jumped in the other direction, completely evading the attack. "Stay far away from those spores, Ivysaur!" It growled in response and shot its own Razor Leaf in response. Tangela yelped in pain as the leaves cut through some of its vines. _Critical hit_.

"Tangela, use Hidden Power!" Tangela shot out little balls of energy in all directions. Ivysaur ran around, but the orbs started to close in. As soon as Ivysaur was hit by one, it winced and shivered. It was, however, extremely _livid_. Without any ado, it rushed towards Tangela and used a Take Down with such force that it was pushed back a little by the sheer force of the attack. Tangela was sent flying as it crashed into one of the walls. Ivysaur roared menacingly. Red was worried. "Ivysaur, we all good there?" Erika knew what was going on. "Tangela, are you okay?" Tangela's only response was falling off the Gym's walls, completely knocked out. She returned it and asked Red, "I assume that Ivysaur is close to evolving?" Red nodded. "Yeah, it's really close." Erika nodded. "I suggest you refrain from battling with it for now. It'll calm down- but I strongly advise you not to use it for battle for the next week." _A week. That's what Misty said._ "Ivysaur, return. We're good for now." Ivysaur seemed to calm down after that. It trotted back to Red. He patted it and said, "You okay? Hmm?" Ivysaur chittered happily, now fully calmed down.

He picked up his next Pokeball. "Charmeleon, go!" _I hope I'm not making a mistake here. _Charmeleon growled upon emerging and snarled at Erika. "Victreebel, go!" Charmeleon took a good look at his Grass- type opponent. It smiled devilishly. Victreebel tried to look menacing, but failed miserably in the face of Charmeleon. Red smiled and said, "Alright, Charmeleon, let's ta-" Without another word, Charmeleon rushed at Victreebel and crunched down with its jaws onto Victreebel. It erupted into flames as it did, enclosing Victreebel in a vortex of flames. Victreebel shrieked in pain. Red was horrified. "Charmeleon, stop!" Erika tensed. She immediately rushed to her corner of the stage and pulled out an Ultra Ball.

Meanwhile, Charmeleon had started spewing large bursts of fire at the Victreebel, thouroughly enjoying its prey writhing. _This was fun_. Charmeleon leapt into the air and slashed at Victreebel's body, drawing large amounts of blood. It kept slashing at Victreebel. Erika gripped the Ultra Ball harder. _One more move, kid. And then..._

Charmeleon crunched down into Victreebel, drawing even more blood. The poor thing could only squirm in pain as Charmeleon tossed it outside the window, making it smash into the glass. It then started spewing fire _everywhere_, starting a wildfire inside the Gym. Erika tossed the Ultra Ball and out came an equally livid Venusaur, who turned to Erika. "Do it." She hissed.

Venusaur took one look at the smashed glass and another at Charmeleon and roared. Charmeleon lunged at Venusaur. The behemoth merely enclosed him in vines and tossed him around the walls of the Gym, making it spit blood all over the place. Pikachu, who was on Red's shoulder, jumped into the air and rushed towards Venusaur and seemed to communicate with it. After a few moments, Venusaur loosened its grip, and Charmeleon's limp body fell to the ground.

At the Pokemon Center, the Nurse rushed out of the ER. She looked at Erika and said, "He'll live. The damage was significant, but he held on." Red, who was sulking in a corner, closed his eyes as flashbacks of Charmeleon mauling Victreebel came back to him. Erika walked up to Red and patted his shoulder. "Up." Red got up- he felt bad for what he had done. "I'm very sorry for wh-" "_Let me finish_."

"Both of us now know that you were advised _not _to battle with your Pokemon for this week. Yet, you stroll into my Gym, nearly murder _two_ of my Pokemon and you say you're _sorry_." Red nodded silently. She continued. "I have a half a mind to _kill_ you for what you did, you little shit. But I won't." She breathed heavily. "I was informed that your Charmeleon had the ability Solar Power- I assume you know what that does." He nodded. "It's basically Moxie, but from turn one and in sunlight."

She continued. "Okay, you're not dumb. Good. Train your Pokemon harder and come back. But I warn you-" There was a brief pause.

"If I find your Pokemon- especially that Charmeleon try to pull some shitty stunt like what happened with Victreebel, I promise I will not hesitate to bury you alive. _Understood_?" Red nodded. She bowed her head to the Nurse and left. The Nurse called out to Red. He walked up to her, waiting for the stinger. "I'm not angry, young man." He looked at her. "You weren't prepared. You were headstrong. But you accepted responsibility for something you did- that is a good thing. And now, about Charmeleon..." "Will he live?"

"Yes. He's mostly fine. His jaw is a little dislocated and he's missing a fang or two- but he'll be okay by the end of tomorrow." Red nodded. The night was completely sleepless.

The next day, Red woke up in a cold sweat. He looked around to see what had happened- and saw Looker sitting there, reading a book. "Good morning, Red. And, before you ask- _yes_, I heard about it." Red almost cried. Looker placed the book on a nearby table and smiled at him. "Hey, hey, don't cry. It's fine. It's gonna be alright." He patted him on the back. "I got back from Kalos as soon as I could. I went to Lavender- I found Blue there. He's waiting downstairs."

"What did he say?"

"He cried. More or less."

Red walked towards the stairs and saw Blue waiting for him. "Hey, Red."

"Blue." He was genuinely surprised at the other boy's reaction. It was like the life was sucked out of him. "Crap, dude. You look like you've been through hell." Red returned the remark. "You're one to talk."

They patted each other on the back wanly. Neither of them said anything even though both of them knew it.

This week had been utter shit.


	14. Chapter 14: Taking a Stand

**Chapter 14: Taking a Stand**

**Pokemon Tower, One week ago...**

"We had an... intruder of sorts." Proton spoke to the figure on the screen. "He was dealt with promptly and-"

"Is he _dead_? Proton, from what you told me, it sounds like you just killed a kid's Raticate and proceeded to kill him as well." Proton bowed his head. "Not at all, Archer. I merely dealt with the Raticate- the kid ran off. I think he was crying or something, honestly." Archer sighed. "For God's sake, it might just have been some random kid trespassing by mistake."

"And it could have been someone _snooping_. It was the middle of the night! You _actually_ think some dumb kid was trespassing at midnight?" Archer rubbed his eyes. "Hmm... you make a good point, Proton. Tell you what- you stay put there and look for the kid. And about those Ghost- types- I have a suggestion. Our little request came to fruition- I'll send you the package."

"You mean the Silph Scope?" Proton's eyes lit up. Archer nodded with a smile. "Precisely. So, you catch us some Ghost- types and spare no expense. Look for really strong ones, 'cause those are the ones who stay well- hidden. And send out Grunts in all directions. Make sure you find that kid. I'll send Petrel after that damn _Looker_ guy."

Proton nodded. "Affirmative."

**Lavender Town, Present Day...**

Proton grinned as he saw a Dusknoir's outline through the Scope. "Oh, you'll do just fine, big guy." The ghost screeched as Proton approached. It lunged at him.

"Oh, really? Weavile, Night Slash!" The nifty little weasel slashed at Dusknoir, propelling it through the wall. The Ghost reappeared in front of it and filled its arm with ghostly energy. Proton threw an Ultra Ball at it. The ball shook once... twice... thrice and vibrated. "Oh, you'll do _just fine_..."

* * *

Back at the Celadon Pokemon Center, Looker stared at the two boys in front of him- it had been a long day of catching up. Both of them were currently asleep. Looker smiled at them.

_They were dragged into this mess because of me. And even if I try to shake them off this path, they won't budge. As far as they're concerned, Team Rocket is a pest that has to be swatted out. I agree with them, however... But I must do everything in my power to prevent anything from happening to them._

He turned to the door as a knocking sound came from outside. He opened the door to welcome his visitor- an old woman, cane in hand, dressed in purple.

"There better be a _really_ good reason I was called here, Detective."

"There is, Madame Agatha."

Red and Blue still kept glancing at Agatha, who remained in a conversation with Looker inside. She turned to glance at the two boys. Blue turned to Red. "What do you think they're talking about?" He laughed. "I have no idea."

Agatha stepped outside. "Come in. Both of you."

As both of them stepped in, they saw Looker frowning, deep in thought. Agatha spoke at last. "To be clear... this Team Rocket somehow broke into my town and are setting up camp in the Pokemon Tower? How _interesting_." Red asked her, "Why do you say that?" "Because I received a permit authorisation from a Mr. Archer, CEO of Rocket Labs- I assume you've heard of them- to investigate the surroundings of the Pokemon Tower, as well as inside it. I suggest you waste someone else's time-"

Blue snapped. "Are you calling us _liars_? MY RATICATE DIED! He was killed by a bloodthirsty Crobat! Go ahead and tell me you can find Crobat in the Pokemon Tower normally. Go on, I'm waiting."

Agatha glared. "Choose your next words wisely, Blue Oak. They might just be your last."

Blue stepped back. She smiled. "Good- you have some sense drilled into your head." She turned to Looker. "Normally, I would not have bothered with such trivial matters as these, but if it warrants enough attention from the International Police's best- it seems my interest has been piqued. I will check the Pokemon Tower, and I suggest you three accompany me."

Red spoke up. "I'm not coming." All eyes on the room fell on him. "I want to go train in the Rock Tunnel. It'll probably be a day or so- I'll come back to Lavender once I'm done." Agatha cackled. "Not a _chance_. You dragged me here to listen to you- and you're coming with me now." Red spoke back. "Like I said- I'm going to Rock Tunnel and training. I'll be back in a day. And besides, it's not like you're gonna bust inside the place right away." Agatha smiled. "I take it we have reached an impasse. Fine then- you leave for Rock Tunnel today- I'll learn all I can about this so- called 'Team Rocket' if I am to apprehend them. But I warn you... if I ever find out you bailed out because of your spine- or lack thereof... you'll regret it."

Red gulped, but said, "I won't bail. I'm not supposed to." She smiled again. "Off with you then." He blinked and in an instant, stood in front of Rock Tunnel. _How did I get here_?

_No matter. Time to start training._

He sent out his team- Charmeleon, Ivysaur, Wartortle and Pikachu. He began to speak. "As most of you know, we fought Erika yesterday." He smiled wanly. "It was our first loss, but we're going to fight her again- and we won't lose this time. Because like it or not- we're training."

His team gave mixed responses. Red scowled. "Again- I'm not asking. I'm telling you guys." Charmeleon growled at Red. "Look at me. What happened back there? You lost control and almost killed that Victreebel. I can't afford to have you lose control again. Hence, the training."

His team agreed. They entered the mouth of the cave, hope glimmering in Red's eyes.

**An hour later...**

The colony of Onix chased after Charmeleon and Wartortle. Charmeleon suddenly stopped and lunged in the opposite direction- directly at Onix. It hardened its claws and slashed at the Onix furiously. It jumped back as one of the Onix fell to the ground, defeated. Wartortle retreated into its shell and shot foam out of all its openings, spinning rapidly as it did- the combination was deadly- using Rapid Spin to evade weaker or ineffective enemy attacks and firing back with potent ranged attacks to wear the enemy down- in Squirtle's case, Bubblebeam. Red suggested the move as it lowered the opponent's Speed most of the time, thereby making their opponents' mobility limited. Combined with Charmeleon's fearsome attacks, most opponents crumbled underfoot, as was the case with these Onix.

They fell one by one as their diminutive opponents quickly and vastly overpowered them. Red smiled from a distance.

_"Charmeleon, you're not going to train with them."_

_Charmeleon looked at him curiously. "You and I are gonna train here by ourselves- you have to break apart all these rocks in broad daylight and not lose control of yourself. Can you try that?"_

_Charmeleon nodded. He looked at the stone walls lining Route 10 as he started clawing at the stones, dislodging most of them in a single swoop. Red shook his head. "No, not like that- you have to control your strength and improve your stamina in sunlight." Charmeleon nodded in understanding as it started swiping at the rocks furiously and intently._

Charmeleon breathed heavily as the last of the Onix fell. It roared menacingly, almost as if daring someone else to challenge it in a battle. Red walked up to Charmeleon and smiled, "Good. You've done it." Charmeleon grinned toothily as it shone with a blue light. It almost doubled in size as wings sprouted out of its back. Its tail grew considerably larger, as did its flame. Its horn protruded further as another one grew beside it. When the light faded, a solitary figure stood in its place. _Charizard_.

The pseudo- dragon thundered as it let out a deafening roar. Red could have sworn half the Pokemon inside the cave had found a hiding spot to piss themselves. Wartortle cheered as it looked at its new partner in pride. It said something akin to, _**Don't blink, or I'll blow right past you**_.

_**You wouldn't be my teammate if you didn't, now, would you?**_

Red smiled as he reached out to Charizard and pet it ont he nose- the spot he knew Charizard were prone to being tickled and started petting him, much to Wartortle's jealousy, as the turtle climbed on to Red's shoulder and snuggled next to him. "Alright, you two. Calm down." He smiled as he envisioned Erika's defeat at the hands of his stronger team- but he shook himself free of those thoughts. The training was far from complete.

**A few hours later...**

Ivysaur shot out its powerful leaves at the oncoming Graveler and Pikachu jumped off of Ivysaur and hardened its tail to steel and slammed it onto the Graveler head- on. It winced from the impact and fell face- flat on the cave floor. The sound echoed through the cave. Ivysaur fired off another Razor Leaf attack, stopping nearly five Graveler in their paths. It grabbed an offending Graveler from behind with its vines and launched it into the air with all its might. The Graveler flew into the air as Pikachu leapt into the air, using an unconscious Graveler as a launching pad as it slammed its entire tail into the Graveler's body, sending it flying and crashing into the walls of the cave, sending a swarm of nearly twenty Zubat flying at them. Both of Red's Pokemon stepped up. Pikachu fired off a powerful Thunderbolt one after the other, as Ivysaur slammed any stragglers foolish enough to try and escape. Between the two groups, Red was confident that he had wiped over half of Rock Tunnel's population out. Not that he felt bad about it- the injuries were minor and they were just knocked out, but he wanted to heal them, or at least call someone. He winced as he stepped outside the cave, Ivysaur and Pikachu following him. As he walked outside, he saw something glinting- it was Ivysaur's bulb- it started glowing. Then the light spread all over Ivysaur's body, making it grow far larger than Red now- and Ivysaur was barely his own size when he was _sitting_. Pikachu stared in awe as the bulb unfurled and grew taller- almost resembling a tree now. Its cry went from hoarse to straight- up guttural now. Red smiled as the light faded to reveal Venusaur. He could barely believe it.

This was the very same Bulbasaur, who, all those months ago had run in fear of a Beedrill. Red was confident that Venusaur could demolish a Beedrill with a single attack. He coughed from fatigue as the three walked towards the Pokemon Center in unison.

* * *

Later that night, Agatha arched an eyebrow as Red patted Charizard and Venusaur on the heads, both eyeing each other's new look. Wartortle was impressed, clearly- she wouldn't stop asking them both how it felt to evolve- though Red doubted Wartortle would stay like this for too long now. Her scales were significantly darker than they were a week ago.

"So, you kept your promise. I'm rather impressed." She smiled at his Pokemon. He said without turning to face her, "So am I- they were really strong compared to the Pokemon in Rock Tunnel. They evolved pretty fast." She smirked. "If eight hours of non- stop training is fast, I don't want to know what world you live in." He smiled and turned to Pikachu, who eyed the trio curiously. "What do you think about evolving? You wanna get stronger?" Pikachu seemed to think for a while and nodded its head. _**Yes**_.

"Yes, huh? Well, as soon as I get my hands on a Thunder Stone- you'll train harder." Pikachu looked at Red with a disappointed face. "I know, I know. But you have to grow a little stronger before you evolve. I want to teach you one last move before you have the chance to evolve. Maybe two." He finally turned to Agatha. "So where's Blue?" "Looker and he went to the Safari Zone in Fuchsia. He wanted to catch a Rhyhorn there- or so I was told." Pikachu walked up to Agatha and stretched its hand out in a gesture. She turned and said immediately, "No, I'm not sniffing your paws." Pikachu hung its head and walked back to sit on top of Charizard, who didn't mind the attention. As Venusaur said something along the lines of thrashing Erika's own Venusaur, Blue entered.

His clothes were torn in several places and his face was bleeding. There was an offending scratch on his right cheek. Behind him was Looker, who looked almost spotless. But the real treat was Blue's team- both his Pidgeotto and his Wartortle had evolved.

Pidgeotto had evolved into Pidgeot. He could see the difference- it had grown considerably larger and streaks of yellow had emerged from its red hair, which had grown far longer. And Blastoise, of course, neede no introduction- Blue had trained his exceptionally well. Despite just evolving, it stood almost as tall as Misty's own Blastoise- and that said a lot. Behind all of them was Rhyhorn, who snarked on seeing Venusaur and Charizard. Blue looked at them and said, "Well then, I'd say we're two for two on evolutions now, Red." He smiled as he tossed Red a small yellow ball. It was glowing faintly. "What is it?" "It's called a Light Ball. Give it to your Pikachu- it'll give it the extra edge when it's fighting something stronger. I found it outside the Safari Zone- I figured you might need it."

Red asked him, "One more thing- I bought some reusable TM's in Celadon. How about you call your team over and we'll hash it out." Blue smiled at that. "Why not?"

Both Trainers smiled at each other. Agatha groaned. "God, you two look just about ready to smooch! And Samuel calls _me_ a casanova..."

* * *

**The next day...**

Both Red and Blue smiled. _Time for retribution._

They stepped in front of the Pokemon Tower, Looker and Agatha right behind them. They stepped inside determinedly, resolve written on their faces. They saw a Rocket Grunt notice them. He sent out two Zubat and a Drowzee.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Kadabra, Shadow Ball!"

Pikachu decimated the Zubat and Kadabra blasted the Drowzee. Red caught Pikachu mid- air as Kadabra levitated back to its original stance. Agatha turned to face the cowering Grunt as she turned, "It seems I have been played. Well, now, I'll take this one to the Plateau. I'll be right back with you." With that, she vanished instantly, taking the Grunt with her.

The remaining trio headed forward, a goal in their minds.

To make a stand against Team Rocket.

* * *

_Whew! Those were some intense training sessions from Red and Blue today. I know, I know- double evolutions- are you crazy?_

_The answer: Why yes, I am! I learnt from the best- Thanos (the guy always knows what's snappening.)_

_Anyways, dumb jokes at my expense aside, here are the actual levels for Red's team:_

_NOTE: SOME LEVELS MAY DIFFER FROM ACTUAL IN- GAME DATA. THIS IS ON PURPOSE- IT'S TO FULFILL THE STORYTELLING ASPECT. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME._

_1\. Charizard (Ability: Solar Power) Lv.35_

_Flamethrower, Air Slash, Brick Break, Iron Tail._

_2\. Venusaur (Ability: Overgrow) Lv. 33_

_Seed Bomb, Sludge Bomb, Razor Leaf, Take Down._

_3\. Wartortle (Ability: Rain Dish) Lv. 33_

_Rapid Spin, Dig, Aqua Tail, Rain Dance._

_4\. Pikachu (Ability: Static, Item: Light Ball) Lv. 34_

_Iron Tail, Brick Break, Thunderbolt, Slam._


	15. Chapter 15: Out of the Shadows

**Chapter 15: Out of the Shadows**

The Grunt panted as he ran upstairs. Proton was stroking his Crobat's head as he saw the Grunt stop in front of him. "S- Sir, it's that kid again- and that detective! They're here! T- They broke in!"

Proton glared. "What the hell do you mean, _they broke in_?"

The Grunt bowed apologetically. "We nev- never had time to set up the securtity countermeasures on the lower floors. Equipment is rolling in from HQ as we speak." Proton sighed. "Send 20 to the third floor. I want to tire them out. If they do plan to fight me, I want to make sure the scales are tipped in my favour. Understood?" The Grunt nodded and ran off, a platoon following him from behind.

Proton sat back down and kept stroking Crobat's head.

* * *

**Indigo Plateau, Kanto**

Lance breathed as he sat down inside the cell. "Now, then... care to tell me about Team Rocket?" All three of his Dragonites were craacking their knuckles at the captured Grunt. He nodded his head sidewaqys furtively. Lance sighed. "Listen to me. Tell me what you know. We'll protect you from them. Go ahead."

The Grunt spat at him as a manner of answering. Lance smiled as he snapped his fingers. "Mega Punch." The first Dragonite swung its arm and landed a devastating blow on the Rocket's stomach. He spurted out blood as Dragonite stepped back and smacked him across the face.

"_Now speak_._"_

The Grunt nodded sideways and glared at Lance. The next Dragonite stepped up and turned to Lance. He turned and said, "Whatever suits you, buddy." Dragonite focused as red energy swirled around its arm. It raised its head for the blow and swung hard.

Agatha and Lorelei were sitting in the nearby hallway.

"So, there has been a criminal organisation running shop in Kanto and likely the Sevii Islands, and they were right under our nose." Agatha nodded wordlessly.

"And they were exposed by two kids. _Kids_\- and we, the Elite Four, sworn protectors of Kanto, have been goofing off!"

"Speak for yourself, Lorelei." A towering figure entered the room. He stood next to them, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "Bruno, please." Bruno grunted as he scratched his unruly mop of hair. "So, where's Lance?" Lorelei coughed as she said. "In his room, beating a Rocket Grunt to death." Bruno arched an eyebrow. "A _who_?"

Agatha groaned. She got up and said, "Well- I'm off to Lavender. Those scum better think twice before they run into my town. And, Bruno- try not to _kill_ the Grunt in a single blow." Bruno nodded. "I'll do my best."

The three smirked at each other as they left the hallway.

* * *

**Pokemon Tower, Lavender Town**

Agatha reappeared right in front of the trio. Red and Blue stopped in the tracks as they bowed to greet her. She nodded back.

"Well, then- it seems you've been cleaning up." She looked at the unconscious Rocket grunts behind them and the sound of footsteps coming from the upper floors. She merely smiled as she rapped her cane on the floor once. The sound of footsteps became clearer.

As the first Rocket Grunt approached, he made to throw his Pokeball and was sent flying into the wall. The next, right behind him. Agatha merely walked on as the Rocket Grunts were tossed sideways and backwards, almost as if being repelled by Agatha. She climbed the stairs, followed by Red and Blue. Looker called out, "I'll stay behind! I'll try to hold everyone off when... _if _they wake up."

Red turned to Agatha, "I'm curious- how many Ghosts reside in here?" She smiled. "A story for another day, boy." She stopped as she saw Proton sitting in his chair.

"Well, now- you took your foot off the Pyroar's neck. _Bad move_." She snapped her fingers. A Gengar appeared in front of her, and it seemed to be wearing a bracelet of sorts, except the gemstone slot had a weird spherical gem in it. She rapped her cane twice as energy began flowing out of her in yellow fizzles and connected to the spherical gem Gengar held. Gengar suddenly transformed as purple energy flew out of it in a frenzy. It's arms started attaching themselves to the ground as its legs went completely under the surface (as a matter of fact, Blue actually thought it didn't have legs). Its forehead protruded as a golden circle formed itself.

Gengar growled as a helix symbol glowed in front of it. Proton smiled. "Now, now... you make the mistake of assuming I'm unprepared." He sent out another Pokeball and it materialized into an Absol. It growled at Gengar. It had a collar attached onto its neck- a similar gemstone hung from it. It glew with a similar hue, as did Proton's bracelet.

"ABSOL! Mega Evolve!" The canine howled as it grew larger. Its fur tufted outwards and spread into a wing- like shape. Its head scythe grew considerably larger. The same helix symbol shone in front of it.

"Night Slash!"

"Focus Blast!"

Absol growled and swung its scythe forward, shooting dark bursts of energy at Gengar, who blasted them away with a red ball of energy. The attack collided with Absol's attack, and canceled each other out. Red gulped. _A changed Gengar and Absol? W- What's going on?_

"Night Slash, back to back!"

"Evade, and then Focus Blast!"

Both opponents were evenly matched as they unrelentingly kept up the pace of the battle, the scale not once tipping in either Trainer's favour. Gengar utilized the lack of light as it disappeared briefly into the shadows and reappeared inside the room, constantly keeping Absol on its toes.

Agatha rapped her cane once, paused briefly and rapped it twice quickly. At that, Gengar launched consecutive Shadow Balls and Sludge Waves at Absol. All of a sudden, Absol winced all of a sudden as it dropped to the ground. Red and Blue cheered for Agatha.

Proton realized the futility of the situation and said, "Oh, to hell with it- Absol, return." Absol returned to its normal form as it slumped down and returned inside the Pokeball. Proton merely clapped his hands. "I'm speechless- truly, I am, to have fought the Elite Four's very own Agatha, and have managed to come close to taking down her ace. She cackled. "If you'll recall, my Gengar took no damage while dodging all of your Absol's attacks." Her eyes narrowed as she snapped her fingers. "SPIRITOMB, NOW!" What Red assumed to be a mere stone, suddenly burst forth with malevolent energy as it launched a Hypnosis attack. All of a sudden, a creature crumpled on the floor, in a sleepy trance. Red asked, "The heck is that thing?"

Blue answered. "I think it's called... Zoroark." Both boys eyed it suspiciously. It looked to be a Dark- type, having a long mop of hair, tied into a ponytail of sorts. On the edge of its mouth was a red stain. Blue was horrified. _Is that blood?_

Agatha glared at Proton. "Dishonourable scum... You will do just fine for the interrogations..." To her chargrin, Proton was still calm. He merely said, "I say, _good show_!"

There was a flash of energy on the window as something broke through the wall and stood next to Proton- a draconic creature, sporting three heads and covered fully in jet- black fur. It roared to the skies as it levitated next to Proton. "Come now- surely you thought I was prepared for such an eventuality." He smirked as he called out, "We're done here- you can come upstairs now!" As if on cue, a figure emerged from the stairs, whom Red recognised immediately. "Hey, you're that Rocket asshat from Mount Moon!"

Petrel guffawed. "Now, now- must you be so crass with your language?" Proton sneered. "Stop copying my line."

"All right, all right, fine. Screw that noise- and _lookyhere_! Familiar faces for everybody! Let's see- the kid with the hat upside his head and a stick up his ass, the _trespasser _who'd give a Jolteon a run for his money with that 'do- and a celebrity! My, oh, my, this is a treat!"

Red scowled as he turned to Blue. "You down?" Blue smiled. "I am _now_."

Petrel laughed. "Seriously? You little shits are gonna take me on? Hmm... _interesting_, to say the least." He flung out a Pokeball and merely said. "Sic 'em, boy!" A blur emanated from the Pokeball as a small little creature popped out, a yellow gem protruding on its forehead. Red sent out Wartortle and Blue sent out Rhyhorn.

"Rock Blast, full power!"

"Aqua Tail, go!" Petrel laughed as he snapped its fingers. The Pokemon sped in a flurry as it slashed Wartortle across the torso, sending it flying back. Rhyhorn grunted to try and get a clear shot on the assailant, but his enemy was far too fast for him. In exasperation, it charged recklessly as it snarled. The Pokemon merely jumped on tis head and launched icicles at it, slowing it down but not putting the slighest of dents in its hide. Wartortle, now recovered from the blow, blasted the Pokemon with a devastating Aqua Tail that landed right on its knee, tripping it and making it fall over.

"Rock Slide!" "Aqua Tail!"

Rhyhorn grunted and stomped the ground hard, making sizeable boulders appear in front of it. It launched them consecutively at the Pokemon as Wartortle leapt into the air and charged its tail with a blue hue, landing another powerful blow, completely discombobulating its opponent. Petrel recalled his Pokemon and scratched his purple goatee thoughtfully. "Interesting_. Very _interesting."

He made to pull out another Pokeball when Red whistled. Pikachu, who had been absent the entire team, jumped from behind a tombstone and shot a Thunderbolt at Petrel, shocking him completely and knocking him down.

To their surprise, a Zoroark appeared in his spot, recovering from the off- guard attack. Red turned to the spot where Zoroark had fallen- there was nothing there. Proton smiled. "Oh, dear- it seems I have been exposed." Agatha, who stood still alongside Gengar, for fear of focusing away from the Zoroark, turned to the scene behind them. Proton grinned. "Don't take your eyes off of me- not for a second!" He sent out his Crobat, who lunged at Gengar with a Brave Bird, slamming it in the gut cleanly. Gengar groaned in pain from the attack, but recovered quickly.

Red was furious. _So he played us- using Zoroark to imitate that other guy while Weavile was hiding behind them. Clever asshole!_

Proton called his Weavile back. He smiled at the trio. "What shall you do now? It appears you've been- _how do I put this?_\- outplayed." Agatha scowled as both Spiritomb and Gengar sized down his Crobat. "Ah, I forgot about that one. Zoroark!" The feline immediately leapt sideways and used its momentum to jump off the wall, landing beside Crobat and the other Pokemon. Agatha breathed heavily as Red taunted him, "We're not done with you." Proton arched an eyebrow, prompting Red further. "I didn't want to resort to this... Come out! All of you!" Proton laughed. "Oh, so _that's_ what this is! Colour me surprised! Now then, I must point out there's no shame in finding an outlet for rage, though I do suggest you see a psychiatrist about that." Red growled. "If you're gonna use underhanded tactics, I might as well play dirty."

"_Underhanded? _I'll have you know, you weaselly brat, I made use of my Pokemon's innate ability to its fullest- unlike you, who required overcompensation to actually make a point and your friend who crossed the line one too many times." The offhanded remark about Raticate's unceremonious death prompted Blue to send out all of his Pokemon as well. Agatha put her hand to the side. "This is my fight now. This overgrown little _weed_ thinks he can uproot me? I invite him to try." She smiled devilishly as a faint cackle echoed through the room. Proton glared but spoke back, "Don't bother recalling those pets of yours! You'll need every one of them to see you through!" Rhyhorn growled at Proton and Pikachu generated electricity in its cheeks. Suddenly there was a flood of footsteps as throes of Rocket Grunts stormed the building and reached the upper floors. They eyed Red and Blue as they said, "Let the boss go, little boys." Blue shouted, "Or what, scrub?"

He coughed for effect as they threw Looker's bruised body onto the floor. Red trembled as he saw the detective gasping for breath. Blue said without hesitation, "Go ahead- but leave him alone." Red turned to his friend. "If we let them leave now, they'll never stop!"

Blue turned right back at him. "And if we don't, Looker dies! Listen- one life shouldn't matter in the face of thousands, but we can't let him die! Do you want to let him die, Red?"

Red shook with fury at the dilemma he faced. He raised his hand and finally ordered his Pokemon to fall back. "L... let them pass." Charizard outright roared in response, and Venusaur and Wartortle grunted and stepped back. Pikachu climbed onto Red's shoulder immediately. The Grunts walked forward and stood next to Proton. A loud whirring sound emanated from the top floor and Proton merely smiled and bowed his head in fake respect and walked off, the Rocket Grunts dismantling and taking away the equipment efficiently and immediately.

The group could only stare on in dismay as their coup had failed miserably.

* * *

**The next day...**

_The hospital is very comfortable- thank God for Agatha and especially the kids- having to be mature in times like this..._

Looker sat up straight as he stared at the TV, his face completely drained of hope. he turned up the volume as an interview came on:

_"So, then, where is this Rocket Operative?"_

_"He is currently in our custody. We are cooperating with the International Police to uncover this mysterious organization."_

_"Anything else, Miss Lorelei?"_

_"Citizens beware- if you ever see any suspicious activity in your neighbourhood, contact the nearest League office immediately."_

Looker sighed in dismay.

* * *

_And that was the end of the first Saga- __The Rising Evil._

_The saga is basically Chapters 1 through 15. A short recap will follow, getting everyone up to speed, as well as giving away some canon info that some may like to know! So, stay tuned!_


	16. Chapter 15 and a Half: RECAP

**Chapter 15.5: RECAP**

_Well, now... Saga 1 is officially complete! So, here's the recap that no one asked for!_

Red: Hi, I'm an angsty teenager who's into petfights.

(PETA has left the chat... even though I didn't invite them...)

Blue: And I'm his douchebag neighbor, Assfart.

Oak (rather high): What the _hell _was my name again?

(tosses Charmander at Red)

Have fun, bit-

Blue: GRAAAAAAAMPS!

Oak: Shit. Fine, here you go- have the less popular one! (tosses Squirtle at Blue) God, I'm just so old!

Blue: Hey Red! Wanna fight?

Red: No.

Blue: But it's fun, campy action.

Red: Kill him, Charmander.

(Camera- or should I say, me- cuts off as blood spews all over the Lab)

Oak: Hot damn, is that cranberry juice?

Red: I- uh- it's _blood_.

Oak: Metaphors, boy... when you're old like me, you gotta do some (hacks and wheezes) _metaphors._ (passes out)

Red: Aren't you gonna help him?

Blue: Smell ya later, dogbreath!

Red: What the beep is a dog?

**A few hours later...**

Arceus: Can I make a cameo here?

**Retcon, movin' on!**

Arceus: Please! I beg you!

**RETCO-**

Arceus: _Please!_

**I SAID RETCON!**

(sounds of resigned sighing as the literal God of Pokemon sits in his lonely chamber...)

**Viridian City**

Looker: I am French- er, I mean, Kalosian!

Red: Can I battle this guy?

Looker: No.

Red: Ugh, fine! This place isn't shady at all- I mean, look at it!

Looker: ...I think I need to take a dump.

**Viridian Forest...**

(Red sees Pikachu)

Red: Go, Pokeball!

Pikachu: OH SHI-

(Red sees Blue)

Red: Hey, Assfart! LET'S BATTLE!

Blue?: Isn't that my li- hey, my name _is _Blue!

**I- It is...?**

Red: Pikachu, use a game- breaking Volt Tackle!

(Pikachu tosses Raticate through the fourth wall and out of existence)

Blue: Asshole! I didn't even get to catch him yet!

Red: Then how come he was with you?

Celebi: Alright, I'mma head out. PEACE! (disappears)

Mew: Hey, what happened to Arkoos?

Red: Oh, an MandJTV fan. I don't mind- team Michael for the MBF!

Blue: Pfft. Cow's gonna roll him and the tournament out this time.

(Red sees Bulbasaur)

Red: Holy shit, you broke out of the Lab! I'm so catching you!

Blue: Wait, isn't that illegal-

(Catches Bulbasaur)

Blue: beeping beep shaking beeper!

Mew: Damn. That's angsty as hell, brah.

Red: Uhhhh... did that cat just talk?

Mew: Nope. (disappears)

Red: Oh, okay then.

Blue: My Raticate died- and the retcon took away my exposition moment! DAMN YOU, RETCONS! (walks away)

**Pewter City**

Brock: Finally, after _240 hours _of meditation, I can go to slee-

Red: GYM TIME, ASSHOLES!

Brock: Just beeping shut up. I wanna take a nap.

Red: Charmander, use Hacks!

(Congrats! Your Charmander evolved!)

Geodude: Oh, hell no!

(Charmeleon used Murder. exe! It's overkill!

Geodude is dead...)

Brock: Shit!

Red: Woohoo!

Brock: Go, Onix!

Onix: Who hath awoken me from my slumber?

Charmeleon (somehow high): Duuude... Let's baaattle... I'm gonna kiiiiick your aaaaass..." (Onix pwn'd Charmeleon! RIP fam...)

Red: Go, Bulba Fett!

Bulbasaur: For the last time, THAT IS NOT MY beepING NAME!

Onix: I fear no man... (looks at Bulbasaur)... but that cabbage boi... it scares me...

Red: Bulbsaur, use Vine Whip!

Onix: REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

(insert kaboom sound)

Brock: My... my loving partners are dead!

Red (also high): Duuuuuude... screw thaaaaaat... gimme the Baaaaadge..."

(Brock mutters something about Nurse Joy's goodies and slaps the Badge onto Red's face)

**Exactly 420 minutes and 69 seconds later...**

(Red walks out of the Cerulean Gym and looks at his Badge along with the note.

_Call me (plz I'm desperate)_

_\- Totally Misty LOL)_

Red: Yeah, nope.

Blue: I SMELL SOMETHING!

Red: Could it be... has the great... the Almighty Assfart has returned from his conquest of the 25th Route?

Blue (burps): I think my main argument against Rick (burps) is that he's a complete piece of sh-

Red: No, never mind.

Blue: HEY, RED! LET'S BATTLE!

(sends out a team of Level 100 Arkooses)

**I SAID RETCON, YOU STUPID LLAMA**

Aforementioned Llama: Sorry.

Assfart: Oh shi- I said my name is _Blue_!

Red: When?

**Yeah, when?**

Blue: Tch- in the previous Chapter!

**STOP BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL!**

Blue: I have gotten no character development, am severely antagonized and am hated by almost everyone! So, screw YOU!

(Blue blinks out of existence and pops back)

**You were sayin'?**

Goku: But I am Saiyan!

**NO! NOT YET! GO! GET YOUR ASS OUT OF HERE! GO!**

Goku: Alright, alright, fine. (grumbles and leaves)

**A few more minutes (precisely 68: 99) later...**

Bill: I'm a furry- er, I mean, I'm inside a Pokemon- I mean I'm inside its very essence- _d'agh, damn it_!

Red: Nope.

Bill: REEEEEEEEEEE-

Red: Still nope.

Bill: There's X Items in the back.

(Red turns)

Red: ...I'm listening.

**Some weird sci- fi BS later...**

Bill: Thank you for your help in pulling me from the inside.

Red: No.

Bill: Here's some tickets to a place you'll never visit ever again!

Red: O... Okay?

**Vermilion City...**

Surge: I'm a war veteran!

Red: Then where's your uniform?

Surge: It's too tight with the uniform on.

Red: What is it with the beeping phrasing in this place?

Surge: LET'S FIGHT!

Red: Are you manipulating me?

Surge: N... _no_...

Red: Promise?

Surge: Yes...

Red: On your _pinky_?

Surge (crying piously): Oh, forgive me, for I have sinned! I have sinned! I- an esteemed war veteran- have lied on the battlefield.

Red- sama: _Kameil! Kare no jinsei o oeru!_

Wartortle: When in the beep did I evolve?

Red: More importantly- who _are _you?

Wartortle: Who... Who _am _I? Who are we? What are we?

Surge: I would say PETA's least favourite game franchise...

Every living soul in the universe: ... But the joke's already been said before.

Meanwhile...

(Wartortle used Curiosity! Raichu was stunned!

Raichu lost all faith in humanity! Raichu gave up on life!

It's a one- hit KO!

Raichu fainted!)

Surge: OH HELL NO!

(Red Instant Transmissions to Erika's Gym...)

**Wait, what the hell was tha-**

Red: Charmeleon! Use Overkill!

Charmeleon: Fire Style! Fireball Jutsu!

Erika: REEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

(Victreebel is dead LOL)

Ivysaur: Wait... I took out Tangela! I... I was _useful_!

Red: Shut up, Ivysaur.

(Erika has banned PKMN Trainer Red from the chat)

Red: Hey, no fair!

Erika: I'm gonna cuss now! Because I'm a Loreal sponsor!

Red: That makes no sense.

Erika: I know- I had to mention my sponsor for fear of my death.

(Red left the chat)

Red: ALRIGHT! IT'S TIME... FOR A TRAINING MONTAGE!

(One Hypemoic Lion Tamer later...)

Red: Yup... let out all o' the angst in me! Yup, I'm good to go!

Charizard: I swear I wanna leave the Hidden Leaf Village right now...

Venusaur: Shut up, Charizard.

Charizard: Sorry.

**Are you sure about this?**

KaiserNeko: They'll never suspect a thing, buddy.

**Meanwhile... in... somewhere...**

Archer: Damn! That asshole writer hasn't mentioned us a single time yet!

Proton: He has now.

**Shut up or I'll retcon the Chapters you were in. **

Archer: Sorry.

**Damn right, you are.**

Looker: Bill's dead!

Red: Who?

Looker: Ya know, that one guy who sold you X Items.

Red: Be specific- the one from last week, or the one before that, or the one before that, or the one bef... ( has stopped working)

Blue: You guys! I got character development!

Looker: Who the beep are you?

Blue: ...yeah, never mind.

Agatha: Why I am here is beyond me. Just kidding, I'm vague and mysterious and I love metaphors!

Blue: Are you my Grandma?

Agatha: You wish.

Blue (disappointed): Awwww...

**Chapters 10- 12**

**Some BS exposition... you can read them if you so choose... but finish this one first!**

Fuji: Guess I'll die.

Proton: When did I get here?

Fuji: Depends- are your referring to your birthday, the day of your conceivement or the day you came here specifically?

Proton: DAMN YOU, INCEPTION!

(Fuji is dead LOL)

Red, Blue and Agatha: Hi.

Proton: No.

Looker (beaten to shit): H... Hi.

Proton: No.

Red: We are the power trio!

Blue: And we will stop you!

Looker: My butt hurts...

Agatha: No.

Proton: Yes?

Agatha: No.

Proton: No?

Agatha: Yes!

(An even match ensues...)

Agatha: You're strong...

Proton: Really?

Agatha: No.

Proton: I DON'T LIKE GUESSING OR PRONOUN GAMES!

Blue: This is very clearly an RPG.

Red: Learn your game, noob!

Proton: This isn't even my final form!

**No. And that's two strikes.**

Proton: Sorry. I'mma go now. Ciao!

Red: NO! I HAVE BEEN UTTERLY USELESS THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER AND I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT BLATANT FACT! I AM A HERO! AND I WILL WIN!

(Red goes Super Saiyan!)

Vegeta: Excuse me, what the fu-

Red: KA... ME... HA... ME...

Proton: NANI!?

Red: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

(Proton gets disintegrated)

(Red tugs at his face)

Goku: Haha, I _so _fooled you all!

**Frieza's Ship...**

Red: Letmeout! Letmeout! LET ME OUT!

Goku: Yay, I made a shameless cameo!

**Goku, get out of here! And take the short stack with you!**

Vegeta: You basta-

**PG13 for life!**

Vegeta: NOT ANYMORE!

(The fanfiction's rating changed from K+ to T)

**REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-**

**(random outro music pops outta nowhere)**

_I have no idea what the hell I just wrote! All I can say is that these will crop up after the end of every Arc! So I'll be looking forward to the next one LOL!_

_And now, about the canon info stuff:_

_PKMN Trainer Red_

_Badges: 3_

_1\. Charizard (Ab: Blaze) Lv. 35_

_Flamethrower, Air Slash, Brick Break, Iron Tail._

_2\. Venusaur (Ab: Overgrow) Lv. 33_

_Seed Bomb, Sludge Bomb, Take Down, Razor Leaf._

_3\. Wartortle (Ab: Rain Dish) Lv. 33_

_Rapid Spin, Dig, Aqua Tail, Rain Dance._

_4\. Pikachu (Ab: Static, w/ Light Ball) Lv. 34_

_Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Brick Break, Slam._

_PKMN Trainer Assfar- I mean Blue..._

_Badges: 3_

_1\. Blastoise (Ab: Torrent) Lv. 36_

_Aqua Tail, Rain Dance, Shell Smash, Rapid Spin._

_2\. Pidgeot (Ab: Keen Eye) Lv. 36_

_Fly, Wing Attack, Return, Quick Attack._

_3\. Kadabra (Ab: Synchronize) Lv. 33_

_Confusion, Psyshock, Disable, Recover._

_4\. Rhyhorn (Ab: Solid Rock) Lv. 31_

_Rock Blast, Stomp, Bulldoze, Horn Attack._


	17. Chapter 16: Shadow Takeover

**Chapter 16: Shadow Takeover**

**Cinnabar Island, Present Day...**

It was nightfall. The leaves rustled in the breeze as two masked men, clad in black entered the Cinnabar Mansion. They skilfully hid near the window as one Grunt pulled out a Dusk Ball. "Crobat, Supersonic." The purple bat nodded and emitted ultrasonic waves from its mouth, thoroughly confusing any Pokemon in the vicinity. The other pulled out an Ultra Ball. "Mismagius, Hypnosis."

The ghost nodded and passed through the wall. It launched psychic waves through the room, lulling the nearby wild Pokemon into a sleep- like trance. It unlocked the door from inside, letting the two men enter.

A voice spoke to them via headset. _"Search the upper floors first. Find him no matter what. Understood?"_

"Affirmative. We are headed for the fifth floor." They spoke into the headsets.

"Rendezvous at the Mansion base. Target in sight. We need backup on the lower floors. Over."

_"Affirmative. Over."_

The two men recalled their Pokemon and climbed up the rickety stairs.

**Kanto National Hospital, Saffron City**

_"100kr, mission brief." _

Looker spoke into the phone. "It was a fiasco. They snuffed me out easily. I stood zero chance."

_"You know the stakes. Leave for HQ immediately. You have to be verified."_

He chuckled and said, "Understood."

The Nurse yawned as she pushed the food tray to the room to her right. It had been a hectic day and she was looking forward to taking a nap as soon as possible. "May I come in?" No response.

"Sir? May I come in?" Still nothing. Expecting the worst, she pushed the door with sheer force, but it didn't budge. Frustrated, she banged the door. "Excuse me, is everything alright?" The door began to budge. She pushed one last time, and it flew open. She gasped as she scanned the room.

It was empty.

Looker coughed as he saw Saffron City from all the way up in the helicopter. "You couldn't send my ride?"

The pilot nodded sideways. "Negative. HQ sent word- you have to be verified first." Looker chuckled with mirth. "Protocol comes first." The pilot wondered aloud, "If I may ask, sir- what were you doing in Kanto? The place is the damn boonies." Looker mused, _I assume you're from Unova._

"Eh, it's quaint and the people are hospitable. At least, most of them." The pilot chuckled but turned serious immediately. "You didn't answer the question, sir."

"That's classified."

"Is that so?" Looker didn't notice it, but the pilot's tone shifted and a small smirk grew on his face. "So, then..."

"... 100kr." Looker gasped at the pilot. "Excuse me?"

"I believe your _real _codename is 100kr, as much of an oxymoron as it is." Looker readied his Pokeball, only to realize, _Damn it, they're at the Pokemon Center!_

He handed the Pokeball to Looker. He pressed the Autopilot button on the control panel and turned. "So, 100kr, you've been a nosy neighbour, haven't you? Don't worry- I won't monologue. It's not my place."

"Who are you really?" The pilot turned. "Admirable. You're still collecting vital information in the face of d..." He paused and smiled. "...danger."

"I believe that's the wrong word to use."

"Yes, indeed, it is. Any last words?"

"None."

"I am but a loyal servant."

"Aren't we all?"

The pilot smiled. _You have my respect, Detective. I hope I meet you... albeit in another life._

**Cinnabar Island Gym**

Blaine was yawning as he turned around. "God, I _should'nt _have eaten that malasada... damn stomach is killing me..." He got up to use the bathroom as he clutched his stomach.

As he roughly pushed the sheets away. Unbeknownst to him, a flicker of a shadow moved next to his walked across the room and opened the bathroom door. As he stepped in, he felt a sharp blow on his back as he fell down. He turned to face his assailant- a Pokemon. It was covered in an armour of sorts and looked rather imposing. But Blaine had seen them all. As it raised its arm, he whistled once.

The Pokemon could barely turn around as a loud howl followed by a flash of orange burst through the door and slammed the Pokemon, sending it flying. It then turned to Blaine and licked his face. He pet it, saying, "Good boy. You were amazing." The canine snuggled against Blaine and immediately growled when the assailant got up. It howled and charged at its opponent who had the balls to hurt his partner.

Blaine struggled to get up as he said, "F... Flare Blitz, go!"

The Pokemon enveloped itself in a ball of fire as it charged at the Pokemon and slammed into it forcefully. The sheer impact broke the wall as it fell to the ground below.

The Pokemon rushed to Blaine's side and helped him get up. "Good boy, Arcanine. Sniff the entire place and tell me what you find."

The canine walked around the entire room and suddenly growled next to a wall. As if appearing from nowhere, a masked man walked out of the shadowy corner of the room and stared blankly at Blaine. "Greetings, Gym Leader... you are requested to comply with us..."

"_Us_?"

Two more men appeared suddenly. One of them held a sharp object at his neck- likely a shard of glass and motioned for him to stay still. The man in front of him continued.

"Please cooperate with us... we do not wish to use force... we would appreciate if the deed is done quickly..."

"Who and why, if you so please." Arcanine growled at the masked men, but Blaine put his hand in front. "Down, boy. We'll hear 'em out first."

"Thank you for complying... allow us to introduce ourselves... we are the Shadow Triad... the loyal servants of our Lord... we have a vested interest in you... thanks to our _friends_ in the Kanto region... they have need of you... please do not resist... come with us quickly... we mean no harm from our side."

Blaine nodded. _Is that a fact?_

He asked. "May I ask what this _vested interest _is?"

"All will be revealed... please have patience." He turned to the two behind him as Blaine asked, "Fine. Take me, but leave the Pokemon alone. They are my friends."

"Of course... our goal is to liberate all Pokemon... we mean them no harm."

That was when it clicked.

_Now I remember... aren't these the douchebags in Unova from two years ago? Man, they must suck- getting their asses handed to them by a kid. I almost feel bad for these psychos._

"Have care how you speak... we are not ill at mind." Blaine's eyes widened. _How the hell...?_ "All will be revealed." He flung out another Dusk Ball. "Mandibuzz... to the Frigate." Blaien turned to see the Pokemon when he fainted from a sharp blow on his head.

**?**

"What the hell was that for?" He struggled to clear his vision as he felt a sharp pain in his back. "I complied with your every word... God... my damn spine hurts."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't... I didn't know..."

"Dr. Colress? You're with..."

"Alas, I am trapped by circumstance. Between you and me, I still pursue the truth I seek- the ultimate potential of Pokemon and the bond they share with their Trainers. However, Team Plasma requires my assistance in his resurgence. He plans to freeze the inhabitants of Opelucid City alive, including Gym Leader Drayden." Blaine stood up in horror. "_W... what_?"

Colress hung his head in shame. "And to boot, they are seeking the power of the legendary Ice- type Kyurem. However, that path has a serious obstacle- Kyurem is missing. Around 2 years ago, it was sighted in its home, the Giant Chasm, but I believe the Trainer who foiled Ghetsis had already taken Kyurem with him to another region. But, the undeterrable fools now seek the power of the Ice- type Articuno. They want to make a statement, even if it means the loss of several lives. And they made me the leader of Team Plasma. Now, it appears we are at an impasse. And, unfortunately, I can't get rid of them even if I wanted to. As the saying goes, _the walls have ears_."

"Ah." _We're being monitored._ _How quaint._

"Where exactly are we? Is this a ship?" "It's rather ingenious- I built it for my travels across the world, but it has been... _retrofitted_ for other purposes. I believe we are headed east from Cinnabar, to the Seafoam Islands- the home of Articuno." Colress wiped his nose. "I wanted to stop these people at first. The only reason I am still here is because I have hope- hope that I can perhaps find a way to stop this madness. I still hope, Mr. Blaine. I wish Mr. N or that Trainer from two years ago would arrive. This _has _to stop."

"Like you said, we're at an impasse." Blaine and Colress sighed inwardly as Colress turned to leave the room. "I'll ensure you are taken care of, Mr. Blaine."

**Indigo Plateau, the next day...**

"Are you sure, Bruno? With Blaine, you can never tell."

_"Yes, Lance. I've searched everywhere- he said he'd be at the Gym at 8 o' clock sharp- and he means sharp."_

"I know. Have you checked the entire Mansion?"

_"No- his room and the study are locked. From the inside."_

"Well, it's obvious then- he's left. Or..."

_"Or... a worst- case scenario occured? Lance, not to be that guy, but do you really think someone could just up and kidnap Blaine? Because I really don't see it happening."_

"You've certainly got me there. But look into it- and break the damn doors open if you have to. Leave no stone unturned. And be safe- if he was taken, we're dealing with very dangerous people. _Very._"

_"Understood. I'll call ya later."_

Lance sighed as he turned to face the window. _First that International Police guy is missing... now Blaine. What in the hell is going on?_

**Lavender Town**

"Any word on him, Lance?"

_"None so far, I'm sorry to say. What about the kids who were with him?"_

She sighed. "I'll tell them. They'll crib, no doubt- but then, they _are _kids. You get to finding them. And assume the worst for now."

_"Okay. Catch ya later_._"_

She walked inside the room. Red was still asleep on the couch and Blue was groggily walking around. He yawned as he saw Agatha. She yelled, "Oh, don't you yawn at me, boy! Go inside and clean yourself up- one might think you were raised in a barn!"

He yawned and said, "_Fine_. Gimme five minutes, okay?"

She snapped. "Don't test my patience, young man. I've had my hands full with you and I actually have a life to tend to. Make it quick- I have to go to the League soon." A sleepy Red snorted. "Sure... some life..."

Agatha had had enough. She flung out a Pokeball. "Sableye!" The Pokemon grinned wide as it saw Red and Blue. It turned to Agatha and chuckled toothily. She nodded. "Wake them up."

Sableye immediately conjured a purple wave of energy and launched it at Red. The boy was shoved out of bed and woken up harshly. He immediately turned to Agatha. "Hey, what was that fo- the hell is a Sableye doing here?" Agatha smiled. "He's here to ensure you're whipped into shape. Now get dressed and meet me downstairs. And Sableye, keep an eye on them."

The ghost grinned maliciously.

**A few minutes later...**

Blue glared at Sableye. "That Sableye is the creepiest thing I've ever seen."

Red clutched his arm. "It still hurts so much..." The ghost bowed in mock appreciation and walked to Agatha.

"Now, listen. Your friend- the detective- has unfortunately gone missing unbeknownst to me or anyone important and we are looking for him. I suggest you either stay here for now or go to Pallet Town. Actually, I'll drop you off at Pallet Town- I have to speak with your grandfather."

Blue and Red turned to each other. They had many questions.

"And, just to clarify, I'm not clarifying. Good? Come on- and wipe those stupid looks off of your faces."

**Pallet Town**

"And we still don't know where he went, assuming he wasn't _taken_."

"Yes, but listen to that- someone _kidnapping _a Gym Leader in broad daylight-"

"It must have been in the middle of the night, Samuel. Use your brains- and I know you have plenty of those."

"Hmm. If that is the case, I'll see what I can do at Cinnabar."

"I doubt you'll _actually_ go there."

"You know, I just might. And besides, I have to take care of the kids for now, so I might stay here for a month or so. They want to prepare for the Gym Challenge... or something."

"And, Samuel... about that Team Rocket thing..."

"Hmm... even if I were to take this matter seriously, which I can't anymore- I doubt any of us have any concrete proof against them. Or even proof that they exist."

"And there's our problem. We have a military personnel from Team Rocket in our clutches- the bastard's a resilient one. Must be a result of training, but he won't talk."

"Good God, are you_ torturing _him?

"Yes, Samuel. The Elite Four misses your sense of humanity which you _always _displayed when you were the Champion."

"Ah, you haven't lost your acerbic tongue one bit. Not to worry- the kids are safe in my hands now. And I'll ensure they're well- supervised."

"Understood. Well, I'll be on my way then."

Oak walked outside to find Red and Blue missing. He dashed back into the Lab and opened the back door.

Red was on Charizard's back, both Trainer and Pokemon experiencing flight for the first time.

"WHOOOOOO!"

Charizard roared triumphantly as it soared far above the Corral, getting the attention of a herd of Tauros near the fence, who bellowed. Wartortle was training with Blue's Blastoise, perfecting its Water- type moves against it as it thrusted its cannons forward, launching a devastating Hydro Pump, sending Wartortle flying outside the Corral. However, the turtle got back up and ran back inside. It suddenly retreated into its shell and spun around, generating speed as it spun faster and faster. Blastoise, however, had had enough. It tucked its head inside its shell as a silver aura began to light itself. It then charged towards Squirtle, launching a monstrous Skull Bash on it, knocking Wartortle out. It then carried Wartortle on its back and dipped into the pool.

It turned to the nearby Poliwag and grunted. That was enough to get them running out of the pool. Wartortle dove underwater and dove back out, splashing water everywhere.

Venusaur was simply laying down on the grass, unmindful of the training going on.

Blue was polishing Kadabra's spoon as Rhyhorn charged towards the herd of Tauros, who were being led by Oak's own Tauros. The bull grunted once to warn the charging Rhyhorn. The beast kept charging, unmindful of the warning.

What happened next was a sight no one would forget soon. Tauros bellowed loudly and raised its forelegs and tore apart the ground itself, launching Rhyhorn nearly a foot into the air. The rhino fell on its back and was helped up by Kadabra and Blue. The rhino snorted once, but immediately backed off the second Tauros took a step forward. Oak immediately pacified the Pokemon, saying, "There, there, it's alright, everything's fine. Go on, boy, everything's fine." Tauros mooed lowly and left, the herd following its steps.

Pidgeot, who was flying in the air above Charizard, glided down and soared next to the pseudo- dragon. Red waved to it from atop Charizard's back as both Pokemon raced each other towards the horizon.


	18. Chapter 17: An Evil Resurgent

**Chapter 17: An Evil Resurgent- Neo Plasma**

_So far, we've been slice- o'- life- ing our way through the first 16 chapters. No more._

_Get ready, 'cause this is where the serious stuff starts._

* * *

**One week ago...**

_Red landed down. "Whew, that was fun!" Charizard growled pleasantly as it raised its hands in a thumbs- up position._

_Oak smiled. "Well, then, first time flying, eh?"_

_"Yeah, and it was awesome. I can't even imagine what life would be like without flying on your Pokemon! It was so fun."_

_"That's good to hear. And both of you have made me more proud than I care to admit. It seemed only yesterday that your starters met you for the first time inside my Lab. And now, they've become remarkably strong Pokemon. That, in my opinion, is no easy feat."_

_"Aw, shucks, Gramps, you're sentimental! A little too much, if you ask me."_

* * *

**Seafoam Islands, Present Day**

Colress spoke into the intercom. "Stop the ship. Coordinates show we have reached the target."

A voice spoke back. _Understood, Dr. Colress_.

_Dr. Colress? Zinzolin is here... he would like to talk to you._

"Send him inside, then."

A man, clad in a purple robe and a matching hat, sporting pristine white hair, entered the room. He coughed for effect as he spoke. "So, then, Colress, how is the Frigate faring? Are we close?"

Colress responded while reading a letter. "When we are, I'll tell you."

"_He _would like to know right away."

Colress shifted his glasses as he re- read the letter. Zinzolin raised his voice a little louder. "_I _said, the Lord would like to-"

"I heard you the first time, Zinzolin. Now let me concentrate unless you want me to vaporise your non- existent brain _and _spine." Colress turned his gaze towards Zinzolin. "Are we clear?"

Zinzolin grit his teeth in fury. _You little shitbag... let's see you talk to me like that next time_... He glared back at Colress as he left the room.

Colress took a breath as he read the document in his hands.

_Greetings._

_It has been a while since we last spoke, old friend. How are you? _

_If I remember correctly, the last time you and I spoke was way back when... I felt our friendship should not go to waste. Nor should a good man like you._

_I, to this day, am grateful for your advice in helping me escape Team Rocket. I was able to clear my conscience and start a better life- and I am wholly fulfilled. Once again, thank you._

_And to that end- I still remember your project. Remember that machine you developed back when you interned for me at Silph- the Colress Machine, was it not?_

_In my travels in the past year, I went to the Kalos region- truly a beautiful place, exquisite in its beauty and architecture. But most important of all, I made an acquaintance with an interesting person- a famous seer by the name of Gurkinn. I believe he has the key to realising the true conclusion of your project._

_If you read this, go to Lavender Town in Kanto and ask anyone there for my name and show them the other thing I sent you. They'll take you to my home. There, go into the basement and search for a velvet box. My diary should be right alongside it. I wish you adieu and good luck in your future research._

_Regards,_

_Fuji._

Colress inhaled as he grabbed his coat and left the room. The tone of this letter was extremely foreboding.

And it irritated him.

* * *

**Pallet Town, Present Day...**

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!"

Charizard reared its head back and shot a monstrous ball of fire from its mouth. Blastoise ducked its head and launched pressurised water from its cannons, landing a blow on Charizard, who recovered quickly and launched another Flamethrower, which did some damage.

"Use Brick Break!"

"Use Shell Smash!"

Charizard tightened its hand and rocketed into the skies as Blastoise charged its body with energy. Blue calculated the outcome in his mind.

_Now, let's see..._

_Sunlight isn't too harsh. So Solar Power is likely out of the question, assuming that's what's happening here. And Blastoise has better Physical Defense than Special Defense. But, Shell Smash..._

Shell Smash was a potent setup move learnt by many Water- type Pokemon, wherein the user 'broke their shell', thereby reducing their defense, but bolstering their firepower and speed to insane levels. Usually, it was used as a last- ditch effort in a battle, but Blue knew better.

_So, Shell Smash might make the attack a little stronger, but Blastoise can take it._

_Let's run some numbers..._

_Neutral hit... Charizard is a Special Attacker, not Physical... No Solar Power boost... Blastoise does better against close- range attacks..._

_Shell Smash lowered Blastoise's defenses... Hmm... maybe this one..._

_Seems to be a good move._

However, his rival was not too far behind.

_Okay, no Solar Power- not like it mattered for Brick Break anyway... Shell Smash lowers your defenses, that's good to hear... but Blastoise is Physically bulky... and he might likely be faster now, thanks to the boost._

Charizard roared and dove towards Blastoise, who tucked his head in and began to glow.

_Crap, this is not looking good._

"Use Skull Bash!"

"Dodge and Brick Break! Follow with Air Slash!"

Charizard nodded and raised its arm for the blow as it descended rapidly. Blastoise responded by shooting itself into the air at high speeds. It began to release its head as it growled.

Charizard delivered the Brick Break attack as Blastoise's Skull Bash landed. The attacks sent out a little ripple, ruffling Blue's hair and knocking off Red's hat.

Blastoise pushed its head forward as Charizard tried to break free from the collision. Blastoise pushed forward until it slammed headfirst into Charizard's shoulder, sending it flying back. Charizard made to fall to the ground as Red yelled, "Charizard! NO!" Red dove to stop the impact.

Blue struck his hand out. "Red, watch out!"

Red jumped forward as Charizard fell from the sky. He closed his eyes as he braced for the impact.

"Sorry, Professor."

Professor Oak inhaled sharply. He almost looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel. He wordlessly turned around and left the room. Voices were heard from outside the room as Blue walked in, smiling wanly.

"Hey. You feeling better?"

"I guess. What happened?"

"Eh, he was just a _little _angry at you."

"Oh... well, crap."

A faint knock was heard. Blue opened the door as Daisy came inside. "Yeesh, Grandpa wasn't kidding. You look like crap."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Anyway, Blue- Grandpa wanted to talk to you. He's outside. And he told me to give you this." He nodded and left the room.

"What is it?"

"Open it and see for yourself. But not now. Now, you lie down. Grandpa will _kill _you if you pull another stunt like that."

"Mm- hmm." She smiled fondly and left the room.

"I leave the three of you in charge. Wait for my word and do not engage Articuno. Understood?"

"Yes... you are requested to return in two days' time... we are behind schedule... we cannot afford to lose time..."

"Alright. I understand." Colress sent out a Pokeball which emerged into a Skarmory. "Fly me to Lavender Town, please."

The metallic bird cawed as Colress climbed atop it and patted it twice on its wings. It flapped its wings as it flew into the sky.

The Shadow Triad watched silently as Colress eventually went out of sight.

* * *

**Celadon City**

"Yup, we're all good."

"Now, I'll be leaving you here. I expect both of you to be safe. And I'll visit tomorrow. And remember..." Both boys gulped.

"...No trouble."

"Yes, Professor." "On it, Gramps."

"Good. I'll be back from Cinnabar in under a week." At that, Oak climbed into the taxi as the Pidgeot cawed and flew into the skies above.

Blue said, "Okay, then- time to enter the Gym! You coming?"

"No. I'll cook something up for the match tomorrow. Good luck, Blue." Blue smiled. "Hey- never needed it."

Red went to the back of the Pokemon Center where he let out all of his Pokemon. Pikachu did a backflip and climbed onto Red's shoulder. _Honestly, it just feels right at this point._

Charizard roared upon being released. Venusaur growled calmly and Wartortle spun around in its shell.

Red announced, "Alright, team- we're back in Celadon and we'll be having our rematch with Erika tomorrow. All clear?"

Charizard's eyes lit up with rage at the mention of Erika. Red pointed out, "That's something we need to work on, Charizard. You _have _to control your rage. And we can't shortcut our way through this one, okay? Either we get it done with here or we run into a brick wall. Am I clear?"

Charizard grunted lazily. Red repeated, an octave higher this time. "Am I clear?"

Charizard nodded. Red turned to Venusaur.

"I know we haven't gotten too much time to work on your battle strategy, Venusaur, but you are pivotal in Erika's Gym. Okay?" Venusaur growled appreciatively.

Wartortle and Pikachu turned to Red enthusiastically. "Sorry, but you guys can bench it for now. A Gym Leader will definitely use any advantage they can get. So, Pikachu's Electric moves and Wartortle's Water moves will do almost nothing to stop her. So, I've decided to hold off on using you guys unless it's absolutely necessary, okay?"

A disappointed Wartortle nodded. Pikachu patted it on the back and crawled up on the soft grass nearby. Wartortle, however, keenly observed Red's interactions with his other teammates.

Red walked up to Venusaur. "Okay, Venusaur, we'll start with you. In the meantime, I want you to practice Air Slash, Charizard. You'll need to be airborne if you want a better advantage. Clear?"

Charizard nodded and flew into the air. Red turned to Vensuaur and spoke, "Okay, so first- Venusaur, since you're a little more bulkier, speed isn't exactly your best play- that is, you're currently better at taking hits and giving 'em back rather than play the dodge game." Venusaur nodded, taking in the information.

Red nodded. "So, for now, we'll focus on offense- and to that end, I want to teach you Double- Edge and Giga Drain."

_Let's see now... Double-Edge is a Normal- type move... gives off recoil of a quarter of the damage taken. It should pair nicely with Giga Drain on paper... If Venusaur uses Double-Edge and Giga Drain as a combo, then recoil would mostly be offset. Which is a good thing._

_As for Charizard..._

* * *

"I hope you're ready, challenger."

"Same goes." Blue smiled as he sent out his Pokeball.

Kadabra emerged as it levitated into the air, calmly clutching its spoon. Erika sent out her Tangela. It hissed at Kadabra noisily.

"Tangela, use Stun Spore!"

"Block it with Magic Coat!" Tangela's spores were completely blown away into the wind, as if repelled by the psychic attack. _Tangela tends to run a defensive set, wearing both itself and the opponent out, and switching at the last moment, activating Regenerator. It's likely holding an Eviolite to boost its defenses._

_Well, not for long, it's not._

"Kadabra, use Teleport!" Kadabra shone with a purple hue as it disappeared from the battlefield, as a loud caw was heard from above. Pidgeot swooped down and shoved Tangela across the stage. Blue squinted hard as Tangela was getting roughed up. Strangely, Erika did not react in the slightest.

"Use Wrap!" Blue yelled. "Let go of it! Get as far away as you can!" Pidgeot tried to fly into the air, but the little Tangela's vines were nigh inescapable as Pidgeot was trapped to the ground in its vines, which periodically increased their grip. "Now use Leech Seed!" Tangela shot out little seeds near Pidgeot, which quickly wrapped around Pidgeot and drained its health, giving Tangela some passive recovery.

Now Erika went on the offense. "Use Power Whip!" Tangela shot out a singular large whip at Pidgeot, maiming it severely. Blue smiled, "Now isn't that a clever play? Careful... it's learning. U- Turn, now!" Pidgeot flew towards Tangela and slammed into its body, sending it flying. Pidgeot flew up and in a singular motion, did a nosedive and landed right next to Blue.

One of Erika's Gym Trainers, who had been watching the match, said, "Uh... Um, Tangela is unable to battle! Pidgeot wins!" Pidgeot spread its wings as it squawked loudly. Blue returned it to its Pokeball as he took out another Pokeball.

* * *

_"Are you sure? Pidgeot's your only bet against Erika, and Kadabra won't live a hit from her Victreebel- assuming Charmeleon didn't kill it last time."_

_Blue smiled. "Actually, I got some info from Gramps. Apparently you can find a Growlithe in Route 7 if you're lucky. I might keep the little guy around- he's really good against Erika and defensively against Blaine." Red nodded. He shrugged._

_"Still not better than Charizard."_

_"Debatable. Growlithe gets really good moves like Bite and Crunch which help against Sabrina, who tends to specialize on Special Defense rather than Defense. Arcanine, their evolved forms, are really strong to boot."_

_Red nodded as he viewed Arcanine's page on his Pokedex. Blue smiled. "I'm gonna dip out now. I'll be back in an hour or so."_

_Blue walked into a patch of grass in Route 7, that was for some reason barricaded from the rest of the route, except for a solitary unlocked gate. Blue opened the gate as he walked in. He sent out Kadabra._

_**Oh, goody. What are we doing in the impound?**_

_"The impound? This is Route 7."_

_**Ah. Never mind, then-**_

_"What were you doing in an impound?"_

_**It was where I grew up. Contrary to popular belief, I actually had rather fond memories of that-**_

_"Liar."_

_**Alright, fine, I teleported in there by accident! **_

_"That's better. Now, we're looking for a Growlithe. They're pretty laid- back, so catching them shouldn't be too hard."_

* * *

_Red walked over to Blue as he saw a shy little pup hide behind Blue's legs. He laughed as he said, "Meet Growlithe. He's a little shy, but he's real strong!" He clutched his arm as he said, "Yeah, real strong." Red couldn't see clearly, but it was obvious what had happened- he had been bit really bad._

_"You should get that checked out." Blue laughed it off. "Nah, I'll be fine."_

_Charizard eyed the other Fire- type with an air of disapproval as it flew around both Trainers. Red chuckled. "Alright, Charizard, don't scare the crap out of him." Charizard nodded and immediately landed._

* * *

"Alright, let's see what ya got! Growlithe, go!"

The canine leapt out of its Pokeball and blankly stared at its surroundings. _Maybe it was a wrong idea for his first battle to be a Gym Battle._

_Just maybe._

Growlithe turned to face Blue, who said, "Alright, buddy, you got this! Easy win!"

Growlithe nodded hesitantly and turned to face Erika. She flung an Ultra Ball outside as a Pokemon emerged. Growlithe jumped for cover as gigantic tree- like figure burst forth from the Pokeball.

"Exeggutor, go!" The ridiculously tall Exeggutor smiled in a goofy way as it braced itself. Blue took a deep breath as he ran the facts in his head.

_Kantonian Exeggutor can't reach a height like that in just one lifetime- the thing's nearly touching the ceiling._

_Maybe it's a regional variant, like the ones Grandpa Samson studies in__ Alola. So, this one is a Grass/Dragon- type- and that means my Fire- type attacks won't do nearly as much if it were a regular Exeggutor._

_Ugh, this is bad._

"Growlithe, use Fire Fang!" Growlithe barked and lunged at the Exeggutor, who kept smiling all the while. Growlithe bit its legs, receiving nothing more than the ever- present goofy smile on Exeggutor's face.

"Exeggutor, use Draco Meteor!" Blue reeled from shock. _Draco Meteor? Oh, shit, this is bad, this is real bad_.

Draco Meteor was reputed to be the strongest known Dragon- type move in existence, bar none. It was an attack where the user charged up a majority of their draconic energy and blasted spheres of that energy at their opponent. The 'meteor' part of Draco Meteor was actually coined because of the speed and ferocity with which the energy spheres were launched in battle, almost like meteors hurtling towards the Earth.

Naturally, a devastating attack such as this used up a lot of the user's energy, thereby lowering their attacking prowess harshly. Further, it was rather limited- only a select few Dragon- types could learn the move.

Exeggutor chuckled in the same oblivious way as it charged a multitude of purple spheres and fired them towards Growlithe. "Dodge them! Quick!" Growlithe was transfixed to its spot, whimpering and whining.

"Don't stand there, move! You'll get hit if you stand there!" Growlithe whined as it sat down in a petrified state. Blue paled as the Draco Meteor got closer.

"Growlithe, return!" Blue returned his Pokemon as he sent out Pidgeot, who instantly flew into the air. "Use Fly!" Pidgeot flew up as the attack landed onto the ground, sending debris from the impact flying everywhere. Pidgeot swooped down and landed a super- effective Fly, ramming right onto Exeggutor's vulnerable spot- the neck.

Exeggutor lurched forward as it fell to the ground, unconscious.

Erika and Blue readied their final Pokemon.

"You better not back down now, challenger."

"Trust me, I have _no _intention of doing that."

* * *

Venusaur rammed its body against Charizard, neither edging out the other. Venusaur pushed forth as Charizard barely held it back with its full power. Both Pokemon were then shoved back by the collision as Venusaur trembled a little. Charizard flew into the air as Venusaur launched a purple ball of goo at Charizard, maiming its wing cleanly and sending it back down. It charged up the fully- sprouted tree on its back as it drained energy from Charizard, knocking it down.

"And done! That was well done, both of you! You did good, Venusaur. You too, Charizard!" Red smiled as the now- setting sun made the sky shine with a reddish hue. "Alright, now we'll work with you two. Alright, Pikachu?"

Pikachu lay still. Red walked over to where Pikachu had been resting for the last few hours. He picked Pikachu up in his arms and said, "You okay, buddy?" It was fast asleep. Red instinctively touched its forehead.

It was burning hot with a fever.

"Kadabra, use Psyshock!" Kadabra launched sharp psychic projectiles at Vileplume as it teleported seamlessly from one part of the stage to another, thoroughly dizzying Vileplume.

"Use Petal Dance!" Vileplume began to spin around in a frenzy, launching a flurry of petals across the entire stage to snuff Kadabra out. It was a good play too- either Kadabra showed itself or got devastated by the typhoon of petals swirling next to Vileplume, which also created a makeshift barrier against Kadabra's attacks, though they would inevitably fall after a single line of attacks.

_If you can hear me, teleport back and forth between the same two spots. Eventually, Vileplume will try to bait you and it'll put its full power into that attack, assuming my theory is right. Then, you teleport away at the last second, leaving it with a Confusion status and hit it with everything you got._

_**What's the guarantee it'll stay that way?**_

_Very low, considering it might have a Berry or something, but it's worth a shot._

_**Alright, if you say so. Here goes nothing, then...**_

Kadabra teleported to and fro between the bottom left and top right corners of the stage as Vileplume tried to keep track of its movements. Blue could see both Kadabra and Vileplume getting more and more fatigued, as Kadabra was getting hit by stray petals whenever it teleported as Vileplume began to teeter around dizzily.

"Kadabra, now!" Kadabra teleported in front of Vileplume as it charged another Psyshock attack.

"Use Pollen Puff!" Suddenly, Vileplume stood upright and spat a large wad of pollen right at Kadabra, who was right in the line of fire.

Both the attacks landed right on target, sending Kadabra and Vileplume flying back. Vileplume teetered for a bit before it fell down. Kadabra panted heavily as it, too, succumbed to the attack.

The Trainer who was unofficially refereeing had her mouth open in shock- as did every other person currently watching the match.

"Uh... Well, um..." Erika sighed and waved her hand. "Never mind."

She turned to Blue. "It was a really close battle. I enjoyed myself thoroughly- and on that note, here is proof of your great victory- the Rainbow Badge. And a parting gift of sorts- the TM for Energy Ball. It's an infinite- use TM, so you can use it on as many Pokemon as you like- for example, that Kadabra of yours can learn this move."

Blue smiled. "It was a good battle, sure. Trust me, you're not the last Gym Leader I'll be defeating." Erika smiled. "If that's so, then I look forward to seeing you at the Indigo Conference."

* * *

"Hey, Red, guess who... Uh, did I miss something?" Red was wordlessly sitting on a chair, his hands covering his eyes. Blue tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, we all good there?"

Red sighed as he spoke. "Pikachu... Something happened to Pikachu, and I don't know what. He... has a really bad fever or something."

"Cheer up, Red. He probably got food poisoning from eating a stray Berry. Did you tell Gramps? I'm sure he'll know something."

"I did. He told me he's on his way here. He also asked how your Gym Battle went."

"Crushed her. I won- easily." Red couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. "Okay, fine. It was close, she lost all three of her overpowered Pokemon and I lost three of min-"

The TV screen on one of the walls began flashing lights and showing static. Red tilted his head to get a better view as Blue turned around to face the TV. The static grew louder and louder before a figure appeared on- screen.

_"What you are about to see... is a message. Two years we were in hiding, forced to live as outcasts from the very land we strove to liberate. And for what? A bastard lunatic who turned on us and hung us out to dry, he who betrayed everything I stood for."_

The figure on TV boomed. _"NOW THE WORLD SHALL FACE THE WRATH OF TEAM PLASMA! HEAR YE- I AM YOUR RULER, YOU WORTHLESS PAWNS!"_

The camera spun to show an elegant avian, clad in blue feathers and radiating an icy aura around it, trapped in a machine of sorts. The figure snorted. _"And, need I remind you of your heroine- the brat." _The man gripped his cane harder as his features twisted into a grin ever so slightly.

_"This is my message to you, N! Watch the downfall of Unova- the sins of your foolish actions coming for you! Repent, heathen and face your ruler's wrath! Articuno- SHEER COLD!" _

Articuno struggled to break free from the mechanism's grasp as he pressed it fired an all- encompassing snowstorm through an open hatch on the bottom of the machine it was trapped in. The only thing more chilling was the figure's intermittent and maniacal laughter echoing throughout.

_"Now, you odious specimen, watch as your kin all fall before me! I AM PERFECT! I AM THE RIGHTFUL RULER OF THIS WORLD! Mark my words- none shall escape my wrath! YOU WILL ALL FALL BEFORE ME!"_

The TV screen suddenly gave off more static as it moved outside the vehicle, which now seemed to resemble some sort of floating ship.

* * *

Colress placed a hand over his mouth as he saw the debacle play out on TV.

The blizzard tore through the entire landscape, freezing everything as far the eye could see and beyond. Millions of civilians were frozen alive and shattered to pieces by the unrelenting snowstorm, their bodies getting broken into fragments, as if they were made of glass. Several men and women, clad in black outfits, began to enter the town as they broke apart what was left standing- buildings, shops, Pokemon Centers, frozen corpses- _everything_.

_That spineless retard Zinzolin... of course he ratted the entire plan out to the Shadow Triad. But how did they manage to find Articuno so quickly? For that, one would require someone with decades of experience with the islands, someone who..._

Colress berated himself for being so stupid. _Of course, that's why they would want Blaine! Who better than an ex- Elite Four who's been living near the islands for nearly a decade now... I should have seen this coming. I should have, I should have..._

_I have to find Fuji quickly and get the hell back to the Frigate as soon as possible._

Colress tapped the bracelet on his wrist. It expanded as it fit itself around his arm, a blue screen blinking to life.

_Good evening, Doctor._

"Good evening, Computer. Turn GPS on- locate the Plasma Frigate now."

_Understood. Scanning for beacons... _

_Beacon_01 found. Location:_

_Opelucid City, Unova._

Colress inhaled as he made up his mind. He sent out his Skarmory as he climbed on, "Opelucid City, as fast as you can." Skarmory nodded as it lifted off into the air. The computer screen flashed to life.

_Fastest Fly route: 13 Hours_

_Possible layover at Decolore Archipelago: 30 Minutes._

_Potential Rest Stops: 2- Scalchop Island, Grand Spectrala Island._

Colress nodded as Skarmory continued to fly towards the ever- increasing horizon.

* * *

**Dragonspiral Tower, Icirrus City**

"Do you feel it, Reshiram? A power- and that on a scale resembling yours."

_**Yes, I do. The power surge emanates from Opelucid City. The source of the power surge is foreign- one not from this region.**_

"We must hurry, Reshiram. There's no telling what he... _Father_... could have done by now. If we wait any longer, he'll come for the entire region next. And I _must _not allow that."

_**Understood, N.**_

The man lowered his hat to cover his eyes as he climbed atop Reshiram. The dragon roared as it charged its tail engine, which emanated a white- hot hue and rocketed into the sky, tearing the ground apart and leaving but a massive crater in its place.

* * *

**Opelucid City**

Drayden coughed as he spat out another pool of blood. The man behind him pulled his cane out of Drayden's back, drawing even more blood. The Dragon- type Gym Leader lurched forward, now in absolute pain.

The man behind him laughed maniacally. "You wretched idiot. Two years ago, you foiled my rise. Not this time. This time, it is _you _who crumbles to the ground as the ones you strive to protect- the truth you strive to protect- gets stomped on! NOT ME! FOR I AM THE PERFECT ONE, THE RIGHTFUL RULER OF THIS WORLD! I CANNOT FAIL- NAY, I WILL NOT FAIL! FOR THE UNIVERSE DEEMED ME CORRECT!"

"D... damn you, G... _Ghetsis_. You... m... maniac. You froze nearly a million people alive, all fo... for the sake of revenge... what is wrong with you?"

"Shut it, you worthless gnat! This is a message to be sent- all who dare oppose me will FALL! STARTING WITH YOU!" Zinzolin, who was holding a camera behind him, switched it on as Ghetsis repeatedly stabbed Drayden with his cane, drawing larger and larger amounts of blood. With one final thrust, he pulled his cane out, getting blood splattered over his face as he fell back, erupting into more maniacal laughter.

Zinzolin threw the camera away as he rushed to help Ghetsis back up. The Shadow Triad appeared onto the scene as they carried Ghetsis away and into the Plasma Frigate, Zinzolin in tow.

Drayden closed his eyes one last time as his final thought crossed his mind.

_You two are our last hope. N... and you too, Hilda._

* * *

Back at the Pokemon Center, Red and Blue stood rooted to their spots as everybody present began to tremble. A chorus of panicked voices echoed through the otherwise still room.

"That maniac froze a city alive! And he used Articuno, our Legendary Pokemon, to do it! Does this mean they've been here?"

One old man fell to the ground, weeping. "Oh, no... My daughter and grandchildren lived in Opelucid! NO! What has become of them? Oh, God, no, no..."

Blue turned to face Red. "What the hell just happened?"

Lance kicked the table hard as he yelled. "What in the GODDAMN hell just happened? Some maniac terrorist just shows up, freezes a whole megalopolis in Unova alive and THEY HAVE ARTICUNO! What did I miss?"

Lorelei was seething, though she restrained herself for now. "And Blaine is still missing. It's highly likely those people have him, considering he's the only one besides me who can navigate the Seafoam Islands."

"Where the hell is Bruno?"

"He and the Professor are still looking into Blaine's disappearance." Lance groaned. "Why is Professor Oak getting dragged into this again? He's retired!"

"We could use some help. All the help we can get. And we still have that Team Rocket matter to attend to. So, our hands are tied here. The only one who's probably free enough to go _while _making sure Kanto doesn't collapse on itself is the Professor."

Lance closed his eyes. "Now isn't that great? You know what, we'll just have to deal with this crap sooner or later. I vote sooner. Call in the remaining Gym Leaders and we'll formulate a plan, if possible."

A faint knock was heard on the door as it was opened slightly. The League Secretary poked her head inside the room. "Sir, there's a call for you. The Unova League wants to have a briefing with you as soon as possible regarding..." Lance groaned in frustration as he banged his head on the table. "Oh, God, for the love of- why is the old- timer bothering me now of all- I swear I'm about to- you know what, fine!" He stormed out of the room as the secretary called out, "Sir, actually, Alder didn't call the meeting."

Lance rolled his eyes as he said, "Oh, right, how could I _ever _forget?"

"_Champion _Hilda, saviour of Unova- how ever could we forget?"


	19. Goodbye I guess

This might very well be the last thing I post on this account.

I have given up. I made some really tough choices by electing to write TWO huge stories instead of one and it began to have an effect on my grades (apparently). So I don't think I'll be posting for a while… or ever.

If you read this, thank you for doing so.

And sorry, but, uh… I gotta go.


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